Congratulations to Jean-Bernard Trudeau, MD

The Quebec mental health sector is getting ready for extensive changes with the adoption of Bill 21 to amend the Professional Code and other legislation related to mental health and human relations. From 2004 to 2006, Jean-Bernard Trudeau, MD, Director of Professional and Hospital Services at the Douglas Institute, chaired the Experts Committee that wrote the report “Partageons nos compétences” on modernizing professional practices in mental health and human relations, which led to the adoption of Bill 21 on June 19.

By reworking the Professional Code, reserving the most complex practices to members of certain professional orders, and regulating psychotherapy, Bill 21 will indeed benefit society as a whole. Recognizing qualifications in mental health will help improve the quality and accessibility of care, a concept that the Experts Committee referred to as “accessibilité compétente” (access to skilled services at the right place and the right time). Regulating psychotherapy will also help standardize a sector that to this day remains overly litigious.

This bill was made possible thanks to Jean-Bernard Trudeau, MD, and the valuable contribution of experts and representatives from the various sectors affected by this legislation. Social workers, nurses, psychologists, doctors, psychiatrists, marriage and family therapists, vocational guidance counsellors, occupational therapists, psychoeducators and many other kinds of professionals were consulted and involved in the process in order to modernize these regulations in the context of the specific realities of the field while promoting the sharing of skills.

Staff and managers working in mental health in different health care settings are already preparing for the changes. The Douglas Institute is also getting ready to put these legal amendments into practice while ensuring that we respect both the past and everyone's inherent rights. In the years to come, we will do everything in our power to transform practices and continue improving the quality of patient care.

The Douglas Institute is proud to be associated with the promoter of Bill 21, and we are delighted to see our leadership in mental health reflected in this project.

Sincere congratulations to the Experts Committee and Jean-Bernard Trudeau.

Jacques Hendlisz,
Director General, Douglas Mental Health University Institute