Bill C-289 Stopping Supply to Save Lives Act

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C-289 An Act to Amend the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act and to Make a Related Amendment to the Criminal Code

Short Title: Stopping Supply to Save Lives Act

Bill Type: Private Member’s Bill

Bill Sponsor: Chak Au (Richmond Centre—Marpole)

Status: Outside the Order of Precedence — Introduced June 17, 2026. This Bill has not passed yet.

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What is this Bill For?

Bill C-289 would significantly increase penalties for

  • trafficking,
  • possessing for the purpose of trafficking,
  • importing,
  • exporting or
  • producing synthetic opioids — drugs like fentanyl and carfentanil

that are driving the overdose crisis in Canada.

The Bill creates a two-tier penalty structure based on amount.

  • For synthetic opioids over 40 mg — a mandatory life sentence with no discretion for the judge.
  • For amounts between 20 mg and 40 mg — a mandatory minimum of 15 years with a maximum of life.

These are among the harshest drug penalties ever proposed in Canadian Law.

It also adds aggravating factors at sentencing if the offense was committed within 300 metres of a treatment centre, school, child care facility or other designated location for vulnerable persons — or if the amount involved was enough to reasonably cause death.

The Criminal Code amendment removes parole eligibility for 25 years for offenders convicted of the most serious synthetic opioid trafficking, import, export or production offenses.

Under current Law, most life sentence offenders are eligible for parole after 25 years — this Bill makes that the floor, not the ceiling, for the worst offenders.

⚠️ Mandatory minimums and the Charter — The Supreme Court of Canada has struck down mandatory minimum sentences in multiple cases as violations of Section 12 of the Charter (cruel and unusual treatment or punishment). A mandatory life sentence for possessing more than 40 mg of a synthetic opioid — regardless of the offender's role, circumstances or intent — will face immediate Charter challenge. The Bill contains no notwithstanding clause and no Charter analysis.

WHO GAINS POWER

  • Courts lose sentencing discretion for the most serious synthetic opioid offenses — mandatory life sentences remove judicial flexibility regardless of individual circumstances
  • The Governor in Council gains the power to designate additional locations as protected zones where proximity to drug offenses becomes an aggravating factor — an expandable list with no Parliamentary oversight required for additions

WHO LOSES POWER

  • Judges lose discretion to consider individual circumstances for offenders convicted of the highest-tier synthetic opioid offenses — the sentence is mandatory
  • Offenders convicted of the most serious synthetic opioid offenses lose parole eligibility for 25 years — the longest parole ineligibility period in Canadian drug Law

WHO GAINS MONEY

  • No direct financial transfer is created by this Bill
  • Communities near treatment centres, schools and child care facilities gain an additional layer of legal protection against drug trafficking in proximity to vulnerable populations

WHO LOSES MONEY

  • The Federal corrections system bears the cost of significantly longer incarceration periods for synthetic opioid offenders — no cost estimate is provided
  • ⚠️ No fiscal impact assessment — Mandatory life sentences and 25-year parole ineligibility will substantially increase Federal incarceration costs. The Bill contains no cost estimate.

THE CATCH

⚠️ Mandatory minimums and the Charter — The Supreme Court has repeatedly struck down mandatory minimum sentences under Section 12 of the Charter. A mandatory life sentence for possessing more than 40 mg of a synthetic opioid applies regardless of whether the offender is a kingpin or a low-level courier. Courts have consistently found that mandatory sentences that cannot account for individual circumstances constitute cruel and unusual punishment. This Bill will face immediate legal challenge.

⚠️ 40 mg threshold and real-world quantities — 40 mg of fentanyl is a very small amount — roughly the size of a few grains of salt. The threshold that triggers a mandatory life sentence is set at a level that could capture street-level users carrying personal supply in addition to traffickers. The Bill does not distinguish between a dealer and an addict carrying enough to share.

⚠️ Expandable protected zones by regulation — The list of locations where proximity to drug offenses becomes an aggravating factor can be expanded by the Governor in Council without Parliamentary approval. The scope of the aggravating factor is not fixed by the Bill.

⚠️ No fiscal impact assessment — Mandatory life sentences and 25-year parole ineligibility periods will substantially increase Federal corrections costs. No estimate is provided.