Canada records 50,000 opioid overdose deaths since 2016

OTTAWA: Nearly 50,000 people in Canada died of an apparent opioid overdose from January 2016 to June 2024, with fentanyl playing an increasingly prominent role in fatalities, the national health agency said on Monday.The prevalence of fentanyl in Canada has drawn additional attention after incoming US president Donald Trump cited the drug as part of his justification to impose sweeping tariffs on Canadian imports.

Trump has accused Ottawa of not doing enough to stem the flow of fentanyl into the United States and said his promised 25 percent tariff would remain in place until Canadian authorities address the problem.

Health Canada on Monday reported a total of 49,105 “apparent opioid toxicity deaths” from the start of 2016 to June of this year. Fentanyl was involved in 79 percent of opioid deaths so far this year, a figure that has increased by 39 percent since 2016, the agency said.

Canadian authorities have acknowledged a significant spike in domestic fentanyl production.

The seizure of Canadian-made fentanyl in the United States, Australia and elsewhere indicates that domestic production exceeds demand and Canada has become a net fentanyl exporter, the foreign ministry has said.

But experts do not believe Canadian-sourced fentanyl is a major player in the United States. Health Canada said that so far this year an average of 21 people have died each day from apparent an apparent opioid overdose, 72 percent of whom were males.

Those figures marked an improvement compared to same period in 2023, Health Canada said, but noted the figures are preliminary and subject to change. “We must remain cautious in drawing conclusions on the trends for 2024,” it said in a statement.