British Columbia’s attorney general says the Supreme Court of Canada has certified the province’s class-action lawsuit against opioid manufacturers and distributors.
Niki Sharma says 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 diseases allegedly caused by the industry’s conduct.
She says in a statement the top court decision 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 court had already affirmed the constitutionality of a law allowing B.C. to pursue a class-action lawsuit on behalf of other Canadian governments last November….