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OTTAWA — Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer says the federal government needs to “hold China accountable” for the illicit fentanyl that has fuelled Canada’s opioid crisis.

Speaking to municipal leaders at a convention in Quebec City, the opposition leader said opioid addiction and overdoses are both a health problem and a public-safety problem, and part of the solution is to restrict the supply.

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“The main source of illicit fentanyl coming into Canada is from China by containers and through the mail and the majority of it is destined to B.C.,” Scheer said. “Now, obviously Canada must stop this flow of fentanyl into Canada. This is all the more urgent since sources have clearly indicated that the issue of imported fentanyl from China will get worse before it gets better. So the government must take real action to hold China accountable for this phenomenon.”

Fentanyl is more powerful than morphine or heroin and can be transported, cut with other substances, and sold as supposedly less potent than its drug cousins. But because it’s so strong, a very little extra can mean a lethal overdose.