(Montreal) The brand new suicide prevention emergency line 988 will appear in Canada on November 30. However, if we promise 24/7 service from coast to coast, this number will not replace the Quebec structure and neither the ministry nor the aid organizations will promote it.
In summary, very few stakeholders involved want the federal 988 line in Quebec, including the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MSSS), the Regroupement des centers de prevention du suicide du Québec (RCPSQ) and the Association québécoise suicide prevention program (AQPS).
In the office of the Minister responsible for Social Services, Lionel Carmant, it is confirmed that no form of promotion of 988 is planned. However, we continue to work with federal authorities to ensure that calls from Quebec are properly redirected to 1866 APPELLE.
Interim President and CEO of the AQPS, Luc Massicotte in turn affirms that “the 988 will not replace the 1866 APPELLE” and that his organization will not increase its popularity. However, he insists on reassuring the public by maintaining that “no one will fall between two chairs from November 30”.
All the stakeholders consulted by The Canadian Press praised the effectiveness of the current structure built around the 1-866-APPELLE line, 535-353 text messaging and chat on the Suicide.ca platform.
While she recognizes that there could be an advantage to using a three-digit number, the general director of the RCPSQ, Claudia Charron, believes that the level of knowledge of the 1866 APPELLE number increases from year to year.
“People know this resource well in the area because it has been established for several years,” she observes.
More specifically, the many stakeholders consulted consider that the strength of the Quebec structure lies in its regional approach. Each call is received by a resource located in the region from which the person in distress comes. We are therefore better equipped to understand our reality and direct it towards the resources available around it.
We also favor a different approach by focusing more on the caller’s protection factors. “It’s a particular expertise that we have in Quebec,” explains Mélanie Lapierre, from the Suicide Prevention Center 02 in Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean. We work on hope. We don’t really spend time talking about suicidal thoughts and the person’s problematic situation. »
Among the intervention teams, there is therefore fear of having to abandon the Quebec approach for uniform Canadian methods by adhering to 988. Other risks give rise to concern, including technical problems which could arise where calls would be lost in the system. “There will be a very strong emphasis on technological security,” insists Claudia Charron. We want calls to remain in the caller’s territory. We don’t want a call from Quebec to be answered by someone who speaks French in Saskatchewan. »
No delays in sight
At the federal level, the project seems to be going well according to official information provided by both the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) and the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC).
The CRTC has the mandate to ensure the technical deployment of the new emergency line across the country. By email, a spokesperson assured that the service will be available in all provinces and territories starting November 30 as planned.
The responsibility for ensuring that competent professionals are available to answer calls at all times rests with PHAC. Here again, a spokesperson assures that the service will be ready on time.
Quebec prevention teams also intend to be well prepared since we know that each communication initiative related to suicide prevention inevitably leads to an increase in the volume of calls. A reality that organizations in each region are well aware of.
Need help ?
If you need support, if you have suicidal thoughts or if you are worried about a loved one, contact 1 866 APPELLE (1 866 277-3553). A suicide prevention worker is available to you 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
You can also visit the website commentparlerdusuicide.com
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