Quebec pledges $4.5M for suicide prevention

On World Suicide Prevention Day, Social Services Minister Lionel Carmant announced $4.5 million towards suicide prevention centres in Quebec.

This amount is a response to the public inquiry report by coroner Julie-Kim Godin published in June 2023, concerning the suicide of five people between 2017 and 2019.

The report recommended, among other things, that the necessary resources be deployed to set up suicide prevention centres and community crisis centres “equally in all regions of Quebec.” It was also recommended that they be better funded.

Suicide prevention centres “offer a range of services adapted to the complexity of the suicide problem in Quebec; such as a 24/7 intervention line, public awareness, support for those around a person who is thinking about suicide, intervention in an environment following a suicide, services for people bereaved by suicide as well as training for suicide prevention sentinels, professionals and stakeholders,” reads the minister’s press release.

There are currently 33 suicide prevention centres in Quebec spread across 15 regions.

According to preliminary data from the Chief Coroner of Quebec, there were at least 1,102 suicides in Quebec in 2022. The province has set itself an objective to reduce the number of suicide deaths by at least 10 per cent in its 2022-2026 Strategy.

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Need help?

If you are thinking about suicide or are worried about a loved one, there are people available to help you, anywhere in Quebec, at any time.

Phone: 1-866-APPELLE (1-866-277-3553)

Text: 535 353

Chat, information and tools: www.suicide.ca

–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews