The Not Criminally Responsible Reform Act: Mental Health and the Law

The McGill Journal of Law and Health (MJLH) is pleased to announce its 7th annual Colloquium, titled The Not Criminally Responsible Reform Act: Mental Health and the Law. This bilingual and student-based initiative promotes interdisciplinary dialogue on issues where the law and health intersect, with the goal of encouraging the development of better health care policy in Canada.

The Colloquium will facilitate a critical discussion of the Act’s merits, particularly with respect to the perceived tension between the promotion of public safety and the protection of the rights of mentally ill persons accused of criminal offences. This year’s panelists will discuss the Act’s potential to achieve its goal of increasing public safety in light of its possible implications on society’s understanding and treatment of mental illness.

The MJLH will welcome a panel of guests from across the country, including: Mr. Michael Arruda, from the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal; Dr. Patrick Baillie, from the Mental Health Commission of Canada; Dr. Hy Bloom, Adjunct Professor at the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Law and Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine; Dr. Renée Fugère, from l’Institut Philippe-Pinel de Montréal; Dr. Archibald Kaiser, from the Schulich School of Law and the Department of Psychiatry at Dalhousie University; and, the Honourable Justice Mr. Richard Schneider, Chair of the Ontario Review Board. Professor Alana Klein, from McGill’s Faculty of Law, will moderate the panel.

Tickets are $5; RSVPs and tickets, please contact mjlh.colloquium [at] gmail.com.

A request for continuing legal education accreditation has been made to the Barreau du Québec.