The Quebec government will “soon” table its bill which aims to share information on the state of mental health of people released from prison with the police.
“We want to give police officers more tools to better understand the situation of the people they are going to arrest,” said Prime Minister François Legault at a press scrum in Bécancour on Monday.
The government is thus following up on a recommendation from coroner Géhane Kamel which was made following the death of Sûreté du Québec (SQ) sergeant Maureen Breau.
Maureen Breau was stabbed to death in March 2023 in Louiseville during a police intervention by a man who was experiencing mental health problems, according to media reports. The suspect was then shot and killed.
“The objective is for information to circulate well between the police and the health network,” said the Prime Minister.
A tribute to Sergeant Maureen Breau was also held Monday at the National Police Academy in Nicolet. François Legault placed a wreath of flowers there.
The Association of Quebec Provincial Police Officers (APPQ) is also calling for a protocol on information sharing, so that police officers are informed of a person’s state of health before their intervention.
It is the Minister of Public Security, François Bonnardel, who must table the bill.
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