Law P-38

Mental health advocacy groups mobilize around Law P-38 as review of the law continues

Mental health advocacy groups are mobilizing to raise awareness around Law P-38.001 - Act respecting the protection of persons whose mental state presents a danger to themselves or to others - as the Institut québécois de réforme du droit et de la justice (IQRDJ) reviews the application of the law.

In May 2023, Minister responsible for Social Services Lionel Carmant mandated the IQRDJ to coordinate a review of the application of Law P-38.001, which governs involuntary institutional care in Quebec. 

Last week, groups like the Association des groupes d’intervention en défense des droits en santé mentale du Québec (AGIDD-SMQ) mobilized in front of the National Assembly in Quebec City to express their concerns around the potential changes that will come out of the review process for Law P-38.001 and the impact these changes may have on people’s rights and freedoms.

CIDI spoke with Nancy Melanson, co-coordinator of the socio-political aspects for AGIDD-SMQ, Tim Wisdom, general director of L’Éveil de Brome-Missisquoi, and Claude Moreau, president of Pro-Def Estrie and vice-president of AGIDD-SMQ, to learn more about these concerns and the complexities surrounding Law P-38.001 as an exceptional law.

Listen to the full interview below to hear more: