Opinion on Quebec's Bill 23 on involontary hospitalisation.

[N0ph0n0]

For those unfamiliar with the bill here is a basic description :
"Currently, Quebec law stipulates that people can be involuntarily confined if they present a “grave and immediate” danger to themselves or others.
-
The new bill, if passed, would broaden that criteria. Doctors and other health-care professionals, including nurse practitioners, would be able to confine any person who is in a “situation where there is a danger” to themselves or others."
-CBC news
The new bill is being proposed to prevent further violent incidents commited by mentally unstable people, primarily the murder of Maureen Breau a police officer in 2023 by a man with schizoaffective disorder (the police had been sent after altercations related to his missing cat) and the murder of Chong Woo Kim the owner of a corner store by Xavier Gellatly after he was caught shoplifting by Chong (In this case i could not find any information on his mental disorder other than he had ADHD, personnally it sounds like he has bipolar disorder. He had a long history of violence as he murdered a woman at the scene of an altercation between "2 groups" there are little to no details on this case other than she was not even involved in the altercation, he also attempted to murder the cat of a former girlfriend and that he killed the rabbit of a former girlfriend (perhaps the same girlfriend)). Personnally i believe this law is nothing more than a band aid "solution" that will simply increase the fear of cops in the mentally "ill". It's clear that individuals like Xavier Gellatly should have be kept in prison because of his long history of violence not because of which ever mental disorder affected him (aka send the wife beaters and rapists in prison and keep them there wether they are sane or not).

 

[arrall]

This law further encroaches on peoples’ rights and freedoms.
Legault is more focused on taking away human rights and “protecting the French language” and engaging in corruption with kickbacks to his corporate friends than actually doing anything to help the people of Quebec.

 

[soulless_curiousity]

For those unfamiliar with the bill here is a basic description :
"Currently, Quebec law stipulates that people can be involuntarily confined if they present a “grave and immediate” danger to themselves or others.
-
The new bill, if passed, would broaden that criteria. Doctors and other health-care professionals, including nurse practitioners, would be able to confine any person who is in a “situation where there is a danger” to themselves or others."
-CBC news
The new bill is being proposed to prevent further violent incidents commited by mentally unstable people, primarily the murder of Maureen Breau a police officer in 2023 by a man with schizoaffective disorder (the police had been sent after altercations related to his missing cat) and the murder of Chong Woo Kim the owner of a corner store by Xavier Gellatly after he was caught shoplifting by Chong (In this case i could not find any information on his mental disorder other than he had ADHD, personnally it sounds like he has bipolar disorder. He had a long history of violence as he murdered a woman at the scene of an altercation between "2 groups" there are little to no details on this case other than she was not even involved in the altercation, he also attempted to murder the cat of a former girlfriend and that he killed the rabbit of a former girlfriend (perhaps the same girlfriend)). Personnally i believe this law is nothing more than a band aid "solution" that will simply increase the fear of cops in the mentally "ill". It's clear that individuals like Xavier Gellatly should have be kept in prison because of his long history of violence not because of which ever mental disorder affected him (aka send the wife beaters and rapists in prison and keep them there wether they are sane or not).

That's sad. Just depressing situation. Hate to see LEOs capitalize on it as a way to increase their power.

There's a reason the de-institutionalization movement happened. Because of abuse and mistreatment in hospitals. The more integrated into society someone is, the safer they are. Yes psych patients causes problems to the public. But they're still more vulnerable to harm (than they are likely to inflict it).

Govt needs to leave disadvantaged people alone.

 

[N0ph0n0]

There's a reason the de-institutionalization movement happened. Because of abuse and mistreatment in hospitals. The more integrated into society someone is, the safer they are. Yes psych patients causes problems to the public. But they're still more vulnerable to harm (than they are likely to inflict it).

Govt needs to leave disadvantaged people alone.

Fr, personnally i am fascinated by schizophrenics (and bipolars to a lesser degree) which leads me to interact with them alot. I have seen so many cases where people get angry at them because they are screaming "FUCK THE WORLD YOU ARE ALL SLAVES TO THE MONARCHY YOU WILL ALL GO TO THE GATES OF HELL etc" and it allways just gets them to scream even more, when ever i interact with somebody in a crisis and i talk to them about anything unrelated to their screaming and offer them a cig, it just calms them down and i get to listen to them talk to me about their incredible world, sometimes they think im Jesus (i somewhat do look like depictions of Jesus).

 

[Axemancometh]

Confined as in incarcerated or hospitalised?

Because in all honesty, the lack of available care for people with mental conditions in this country is really bad; there are too many people on the street as-it-is who ought to be placed in mental health institutions where they can get proper care and attention.

But if they're just locking people away in a cell, then that's just fucked up.

 

[fuckabout89]

Confined as in incarcerated or hospitalised?

Because in all honesty, the lack of available care for people with mental conditions in this country is really bad; there are too many people on the street as-it-is who ought to be placed in mental health institutions where they can get proper care and attention.

But if they're just locking people away in a cell, then that's just fucked up.

Locking them up in a Reagan style mental institution isnt the solution its no more humane then locking them up in a prison which is what Trump wants. I think thats only good thing Reagan did.

 

[Axemancometh]

Locking them up in a Reagan style mental institution isnt the solution its no more humane then locking them up in a prison which is what Trump wants. I think thats only good thing Reagan did.

I agree - it isn't very humane.

Though, I believe it is a much better solution than letting people die slowly on the street, exposed to the elements with the chance to get raped/robbed/murdered. If I was seriously deep into addiction, I would want to know that society at least cares for me enough to scoop me up and give me a warm bed to sleep in - even if it's just to clean up the streets - instead of effectively abandoning me.

And here in Canada, (I can't speak on the US) our mental health and addiction services (as well as general health) are absolutely abysmal - even if it's taxpayer funded. The only people actually doing anything to help addicts are Christian charity services (bless them) who will test drugs (for free) and give them quick checkups and maybe a place to crash now and then.

It got a lot worse since COVID hit, but our government have always only been about protecting the interests of the rich bourgeois class. I would be a huge step forward for them to do anything.