Stopping Supply to Save Lives Act

This bill, called the Stopping Supply to Save Lives Act, toughens the criminal penalties in the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act for trafficking, possessing for the purpose of trafficking, importing, exporting, or producing synthetic opioids (such as fentanyl) and other Schedule I or II drugs. Under the changes, someone caught dealing with more than 40 mg of a synthetic opioid would automatically face a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment, while amounts between 20 and 40 mg would carry a mandatory minimum of 15 years, up to a possible life sentence. Similar life-sentence exposure is extended to large-scale trafficking, importing, exporting, or production offences involving other serious drugs.

The bill also tells judges that when sentencing someone for a synthetic opioid offence, they must treat certain facts as making the crime more serious ("aggravating factors"). These include committing the offence within 300 metres of places like schools, child-care centres, drug treatment centres, or other locations meant to protect vulnerable people, as well as cases involving especially large or dangerous quantities of the drug. The government would be given power to formally designate which locations count for this 300-metre rule.

Finally, the bill amends the Criminal Code so that people convicted of the most serious of these synthetic opioid offences (the ones carrying an automatic life sentence) cannot apply for parole until they have served 25 years of their sentence, similar to parole ineligibility periods used for serious violent crimes.

This bill raises minimum and maximum penalties for trafficking, possessing for trafficking, importing, exporting or producing synthetic opioids and certain other controlled substances, adds sentencing factors for those offences, and creates a 25-year parole ineligibility period for certain offenders.

• Mandatory minimum sentences — trafficking, possessing for trafficking, importing or exporting 20–40 mg of a Schedule I synthetic opioid carries a minimum of 15 years imprisonment; amounts over 40 mg, or production of such substances, carry mandatory life imprisonment.
• Extended maximum penalties — offences involving 20 mg or more of other Schedule I or II substances (not otherwise covered) become punishable by up to life imprisonment.
• Sentencing factors — courts must treat as an aggravating factor that an offence involving a synthetic opioid occurred within 300 metres of a treatment centre, school, child care facility or other protected location, or involved an amount capable of causing death.
• Regulatory designation power — the Governor in Council (Cabinet) is given authority to designate, by regulation, which locations count as protected sites for the 300-metre aggravating factor, leaving the specific list to future regulation rather than the bill itself.
• Parole ineligibility — the Criminal Code is amended so that a person convicted of the highest-tier synthetic opioid offences must serve 25 years before becoming eligible for parole, regardless of the sentence's length.
• Oversight — the bill contains no review clause, reporting requirement, or sunset provision; the changes take permanent effect once in force.