The CBABC commends the Community Legal Assistance Society’s for its report titled “Operating in Darkness”, which brings to light gaps in the Mental Health Act and the manner in which it provides access to justice for those detained under the Act.
In its own report "Agenda for Justice", the CBABC has called for a series of legislative reforms, aimed at improving the justice system, including changes to the Mental Health Act. The CLAS report identifies a number of further areas in which reform is needed to create an effective and accessible review system.
"The proposed amendments to the Mental Health Act that the Community Legal Assistance Society has put forward to the BC Government would promote a fair and independent hearing for patients who are subject of a physician’s decision to involuntarily detain them," said Bill Veenstra, President of the Canadian Bar Association, BC Branch. "If these changes are implemented, it will help ensure that our most marginalized populations will have transparent and adequate access to legal representation. We look forward to our provincial government making the necessary changes to the system so that it serves all our citizens."
Read the Community Legal Assistance Society's official press release.
Download "Operating in Darkness: BC's Mental Health Act Detention System"