‘More time is required’: New Brunswick legislature to delay forced rehab bill
Global News
New Brunswick's proposed bill to force addicted individuals into rehab in certain cases is being delayed. The controversial plan's fate may now rest on the October election.
Sherry Wilson, New Brunswick’s minister responsible for mental health and addictions, says the province will press pause on a controversial piece of legislation that would have allowed some people to be forced into addiction treatment against their will.
The Compassionate Intervention Act was first promised in last fall’s Throne Speech and was widely expected to be introduced when the legislature returns next week. In a video statement published to government social media channels on Friday, Wilson says the bill won’t be introduced this spring.
“We are 100 per cent committed to introducing this legislation, but in our discussions and consultations it was clear more time is required to get this right,” she said.
With only four weeks of sitting days left this spring, that means the fate of the bill will likely rest on the outcome of the provincial election this October. Both opposition parties have spoken out against the proposal.
The delay is a relief to Mylène Poirier, the president of the New Brunswick Psychiatrists Association, who says she hopes it will allow more time for the government to speak to subject matter experts.
“It needs to be compatible with medical practice that is ethical,” she said.
“I don’t want to do malpractice.”
Poirier says the association has yet to be consulted on the bill and has numerous concerns about the potential role of psychiatrists in any forced rehabilitation plan. She says opinion among her colleagues is unanimous: forced rehabilitation doesn’t work.
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