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e-2756 (Health)
- Keywords
- Emergency services
- Mental health
- Safety
E-petition
Initiated by Shaniqua Wright from Toronto, Ontario
Original language of petition: English
Petition to the Government of Canada
Whereas:
- Black Toronto residents are 20 times more likely to be shot and killed by police than white residents;
- Most Canadian residents killed by police since 2000 struggled with their mental health or abused substances;
- Toronto trains their officers over 24 weeks - mental health and anti-discrimination training is not included;
- One in three Canadians will experience a mental illness in their lifetime;
- In Ontario, wait times for counselling can be anywhere from 6 months to a year; and
- Mobile Crisis Intervention Teams cannot be called directly and to access them, you must call either 9-1-1 or the non-emergency police number. This can cause misinformation/miscommunication.
We, the undersigned, concerned citizens of Canada, call upon the Government of Canada to establish an emergency crisis line (ECL). We are asking that this line have a national number (ex. 808) that people in crisis and/or people concerned for someone in crisis can call to get support. This number will operate similar to 9-1-1, but instead of calling 9-1-1, folks will call ECL and a dispatcher will arrange for a first responder to be on scene as soon as possible. With an existing emergency crisis line we ask for the immediate defunding and abolishment of the Mobile Crisis Intervention Teams in Toronto and identical/similar services all over Canada. We ask that ECL members have full control and jurisdiction of all crisis and/or mentally ill driven situations and that police have none. Establishing an emergency crisis line will also create jobs but above all and most importantly ECL will save lives.
- Open for signature
- August 25, 2020, at 3:13 p.m. (EDT)
- Closed for signature
- November 23, 2020, at 3:13 p.m. (EDT)
