Quebec psychiatrists call for a dedicated mental health minister

Quebec psychiatrists are calling on the province's next government to appoint a dedicated mental health minister. A nurse is silhouetted behind a glass panel as she tends to a patient in the Intensive Care Unit at an Ontario hospital, Tuesday, January 25, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

Quebec psychiatrists are calling on the province’s next government to appoint a dedicated minister of mental health.

The president of the province’s psychiatrists’ association says a minister of mental health would coordinate action across different levels of government and help ensure the issue remains a priority beyond a single election cycle.

During a press conference at Montreal homeless resource Mission Old Brewery, Claire Gamache proposed six measures that she said are needed to help prevent homelessness and suicide.

In addition to the dedicated cabinet position, she is calling for expanding alternatives to hospitalization, better support for health-care workers and improved access to mental health care through telemedicine.

Gamache says mental health needs continue to grow across the province, with more people seeking help and struggling to access care.

She notes hospitalizations for suicidal ideation among girls between 10 and 14 years old have tripled between 2010 and 2023.

Gamache wants to see mental health become a priority issue for candidates running in the October provincial election.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 5, 2026.

Charlotte Glorieux, The Canadian Press