(Shawinigan) Dominique Anglade undertakes to set up a free public psychotherapy program. The commitment amounting to 450 million would give Quebecers access to a maximum of 15 sessions and would reimburse the services obtained from the private sector.
Posted at 2:28 p.m.
This is a commitment already known to the Liberals. The political formation had first presented this promise a few months after the start of the pandemic, in October 2020, fearing the effects of the health crisis and containment measures on mental health.
The ad has since been changed somewhat. The Liberal Party now promises the reimbursement of a maximum of 15 meetings rather than 12 at the time. The cost has also been revised upwards, when the measure was estimated at around 300 million in 2020. The Liberals’ commitment provides for reimbursement by the Régie de l’assurance maladie du Québec (RAMQ) of the services obtained at the private.
The liberal leader opened up during her announcement about a part of her personal life, her mother having suffered from mental health problems. She mentioned it in her book. This Quebec that lives in me, published in March 2021. “I still remember when I was young, sometimes I woke up in the morning and I said to myself that I had to prepare lunch for my little sister […] because my mother was in no condition,” she said.
“It’s also seeing my grandmother see her distraught daughter and wondering how she was going to help her,” said Ms.me Anglade during a stop in Shawinigan on Sunday. “Mental health is not something trivial, it’s just theoretical. It is something that is very concrete, which is in everyday life and which affects thousands of Quebecers, ”she added.
Dominique Anglade said that at least 20,000 Quebecers are waiting for mental health services.