Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Mr. Chair, Mr. Vice-Chair and members of the committee, thank you for inviting us to present our brief.
The Association des groupes d’intervention en défense des droits en santé mentale du Québec, or the AGIDD-SMQ, was founded in 1990. It advocates for the recognition and rights of individuals who have or have had mental health issues. We are a non-profit organization, a community organization.
Since our foundation, we have gained recognized expertise in the rights of individuals who have or have had a mental health issue. We look critically at mental health practices and get involved in improving those practices.
First off, I would like to say that the AGIDD-SMQ has never supported violence of any kind and never will. Having a mental health issue is no excuse for violence. I want to mention that right off the bat. However, we feel that pitting the rights of victims against the rights of criminals does not guarantee justice. On the contrary, implementing punitive measures will relieve neither the loss nor the suffering.
The Government of Canada needs to put in place measures to give victims access to justice, psychosocial services, direct assistance, support services and financial compensation, as mentioned by many people today.
I will turn things over to my colleague, Ms. Serradori.