Opioid agonist treatment
Correctional Service Canada (CSC) provides Opiate Agonist Treatment (OAT) to patients with an opioid use disorder (OUD). CSC first introduced Methadone over 20 years ago, eventually offering Suboxone (Buprenorphine-Naloxone), and Sublocade (injectable Buprenorphine).
At the outset of the opioid overdose crisis, around December 2016, CSC began considerably increasing the number of patients on OAT.
More recently, as of October 1, 2025, CSC began implementing changes to its approach for treating opioid use disorder:
- Sublocade is now the preferred treatment. It is safer, more effective, and reduces the risk of medication misuse
- Methadone continues to be available as a second option
- Suboxone is being phased out, with a 6-month transition period to support patients in safely transitioning to other treatments
These changes are based on strong clinical evidence showing that Sublocade leads to better health outcomes, especially after release into the community.
To support the transition, CSC provided training, tools, and communications to health care and non-health care CSC staff, including webinars, patient guides, and updated treatment policies. The transition process has been closely monitored, with targeted support continuing to be available as needed.
Waitlists for access to opiate agonist treatment in federal institutions
CSC has been working to reduce wait times for offenders who wish to participate in OAT. The data show a point-in-time snapshot of the number of individuals, by institution, on OAT and the number of individuals on the wait list.
Guidance for opiate agonist treatment
In 2019, CSC developed a guidance document for the delivery of OAT to ensure consistent, standardized and effective treatment for patients across all sites and regions within CSC. Updates to the guidance are ongoing as appropriate, in partnership with public health and addictions experts, and will continue to be available on the CSC website.