Attorney General Niki Sharma says B.C. can now proceed as a representative plaintiff on behalf of other Canadian governments with the litigation
Attorney General Niki Sharma says the B.C. Supreme Court certified the provincial government’s class-action lawsuit against opioid manufacturers and distributors.
Sharma said B.C. can now proceed as a representative plaintiff on behalf of other Canadian governments, with the litigation aimed at recovering the costs of treating opioid-related illnesses allegedly caused by the industry’s conduct.
She said in a statement the certification reaffirms B.C.’s commitment to holding pharmaceutical companies accountable for their role in the opioid crisis, which was declared a public health emergency in the province in April 2016.
The Supreme Court of Canada had already affirmed the constitutionality of a law allowing B.C. to pursue a class-action lawsuit on behalf of federal, provincial and territorial governments last November.
That’s after several opioid companies argued in B.C. Supreme Court that the province was overstepping its authority under the constitution.
Sharma said the class-action’s certification marks a “significant milestone” in the proceedings that date back to 2018, when the province first launched the lawsuit.
“Our goal was clear: to recover the health-care costs of treating opioid-related harms and to hold manufacturers and distributors accountable for their role in allegedly using deceptive marketing practices to drive sales, contributing to addiction and overdose rates in the country,” she said.
Canadian government statistics say there were more than 49,000 opioid toxicity deaths reported between January 2016 and June 2024 across the country.