Alberta MLA mourning daughter's death slams Jason Kenney over safe injection sites

Debbie Jabbour has no doubt that safe drug consumption sites would have saved her daughter.

"It would have protected her, kept her healthy, and ultimately she wouldn't have died alone," Jabbour said in an interview with CBC Edmonton's Radio Active.

"You need a lot of help and support to break free of that cycle. That needs to be our ultimate goal but, in the meantime, you can't get people to help if they're dead."

He was really dismissing any person with an addiction as someone not worthy of being saved.-DebbieJabbour

The NDP MLA for Peace River is going public with her story after United Conservative Party Leader Jason Kenney blasted safe injection sites as places thatenabled addicts to "inject poison."

• UCPLeader JasonKenneydraws fire for saying safe consumption sites help addicts 'inject poison'

The comments made herangry, Jabbour said, and compelled her come forward.

"I was angry and hurt, not just on behalf of myself but all the Alberta families that have been going through horrible things with this current crisis," she said.

"It just felt like he was really dismissing any person with an addiction as someone not worthy of being saved."

Jabbour said her daughter,Amaya Benavides, fell into her addiction slowly. After years struggling to manage depression, she began to self medicate with illicit drugs.

The family tried to get her help,Jabboursaid, but treatment options in the community were limited.

Benavides died on July 18, 2017. She was 33 years old.

"It became more and more of an addiction and became harder and harder to beat," Jabbour said.

"And she tried.She would get clean for a time period but fall back into it. Last year she got into some veryheavy stuff and it became harder and harder to break free and ultimately she overdosed."

Helping addicts inject poison into their bodies is not a long-term solution to the problem.- Jason Kenney

Kenney told the Lethbridge Herald last week that he was opposed to safe injection sites, and would halt their expansion across the province if he were elected premier.

When publicly rebuked for his comments, Kenney wrote a long post on his official Facebook page, doubling down on his position.

Jabbour said safe consumption sites give addicts time to seek help, without being exposed to the dangers of street life and called Kenney's arguments against the facilities ill-founded.

She will be introducing a private member's bill this fall to provide more mental health supports for addicts.

In the meantime, she wants Kenney to understand addicts are real people who deserve help and compassion.

"They're not this invisible person who made a bad choice and now has to live with it. They are real people with people that love them and want them to stay alive.

"I hope that my coming forward will make that real for people."