People who have been subjected to abusive forced hospitalizations say they want their voices heard.
About 100 victims and advocacy group representatives are set to protest on Tuesday in front of the National Assembly in Quebec City to demand that Christine Fréchette’s government withdraw Bill 23.
The bill is a revision of Bill P-38, the Act respecting the protection of persons whose mental state presents a danger to themselves or to others, which passed more than 25 years ago.
Currently, authorities can only forcibly hospitalize a person if they pose a “serious and immediate” danger.
Bill 23 proposes to broaden the criterion to a “situation where there is a danger.”
François Winter, with the Association of Mental Health Rights Advocacy Groups of Quebec (AGIDD-SMQ), says he fears there could be an increase in involuntary hospitalizations in Quebec.
He says he’d rather see a massive increase in mental health resources.
“Where we could make a real difference to improve things is by providing services in the community, particularly crisis services,” he said. “In Chaudière-Appalaches, there are nine crisis shelter beds in the community. Are we doing everything we can to ensure people don’t have to go to the hospital?”
In a brief set to be presented to the parliamentary committee on Tuesday, AGIDD-SMQ argues that “an emergency law must not become a tool for social management.”
“Too often, people subjected to involuntary hospitalization have already sought help before their situation deteriorated, yet they did not receive the necessary services in time,” the association emphasized.
This is what Nadine Huppé, a teacher from the Outaouais region who was assaulted in 2015, says happened to her, leaving her to “fend for herself” and “wanting to die,” according to her account.
She explains that she had a breakdown and was then taken to the hospital by police officers.
“I wouldn’t wish that on anyone. (…) I was forcibly admitted, forcibly injected, and put in isolation,” she said. “I needed to speak with either a psychologist or a social worker. I didn’t even have that.”
The AGIDD-SMQ is not the only organization concerned about Bill 23.
In recent weeks, the Ombudsman and the College of Physicians have also questioned the proposed approach.
The professional medical association noted that already, a “significant” number of Quebecers are placed in preventive custody – nearly 20,000 in 2023–2024.
“An increase could overwhelm the system and exacerbate current difficulties in accessing care,” it warned.
For its part, the Association of Psychiatrists came out in favour of the reform, noting that many people with mental illness are unaware of their condition.
The psychiatrists, however, called for “extreme caution” regarding the conflation of mental illness and violence.
They note that less than five per cent of violent acts are committed by people with mental disorders.
In any case, Winter says he finds the Fréchette government’s reform “hasty.”
He says he is urging lawmakers to take much more time to “reflect.”
“This type of reform takes time, and there simply wasn’t enough time in the context of the end of the legislative session,” he said. “This isn’t a good bill. We believe it’s moving too fast, that the real urgency lies in the needs of the community, and that we’re missing the mark.”
–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews
