(Quebec) The Minister of Public Safety, François Bonnardel, unveiled 11 measures on Wednesday to help victims of unintentional intoxications with substances like GHB to get help and to ensure that the “cowards” who attack they are brought to justice.
Initially, an advertising campaign aimed primarily at men aged 18 to 35 will be deployed over the next few days on social networks. The objective is to hammer home the message that intoxicating a person without their knowledge is an illegal act with serious consequences.
PHOTO JACQUES BOISSINOT, CANADIAN PRESS ARCHIVES
Public Security Minister François Bonnardel
There are some who take it for a joke and who find it funny to put it in the glasses. I don’t find it funny. We must protect the victims, mainly women, and tell these cowards who use these substances, these drugs, that it is criminal.
François Bonnardel, Minister of Public Security
The Minister also promises to improve police and hospital practices “for the management of cases of intoxication of a person without his knowledge”. Quebec intends to increase awareness campaigns aimed at bar and restaurant staff on the measures to take to help a person who believes he is the victim of such a criminal act.
Mr. Bonnardel also said he was satisfied with the “Check your glass” awareness campaign, set up by the Éduc’Alcool organization and the Montreal Police Service (SPVM). About 10,000 glass protectors have been distributed in Montreal bars and the government wants to repeat the experience on a provincial scale. Last spring, Québec solidaire (QS), however, denounced the tone of this campaign, saying that it was once again targeting victims rather than criminals.
“Testimonies are multiplying in the public space and all abound in the same direction: the date rape drug concerns everyone. So why only release a campaign that still puts all the blame on the victims? It is absurd and insufficient, ”she lamented.
Public Safety Minister says action plan he unveiled on Wednesday proves ‘Check Your Glass’ campaign was just the beginning, government recognizes problem and will do better document it.
In the coming days, Mr. Bonnardel will also write to the federal government to have a consultation table set up between Quebec and Ottawa in order to “put in place an approval mechanism to ensure the effectiveness of self-administered rapid detection tests GHB and other substances”.