Experts recommend better prevention for family violence
The authors of a new report on interfamily murders recommend that the government take action to help prevent family members from killing each other.
The report issued by a team of experts states that one-third of homicides in Quebec are committed by people against their own family members and that men are to blame for 80 per cent of the violence.
According to Gilles Tremblay, the president of the expert committee, most cases of conjugal violence occur after a couple's separation.
Quebec Health Minister Réjean Hébert said he would be boosting the budget of support groups for men in psychological distress in response to the issues raised in the report.
"There are many little actions that could have been done. That's why we have to have a systematic approach to reinforcing early screening for men with distress and violence," said Hébert.
The report contains 38 recommendations which include increasing people's ability to spot signs of depression and alcohol abuse, training media to report more selectively on cases of conjugal violence and maintaining Quebec's gun registry.
Quebec's Minister for Families Nicole Léger is expected to unveil a detailed action plan to tackle family violence next month.
The study was prompted by the public outcry over the case of Guy Turcotte, the former cardiologist who killed his two children in 2009 to get back at their mother following the couple's separation.
The court concluded Turcotte was mentally ill and found him not criminally responsible for the murders.
This week, Montreal police released a five-year action plan to tackle conjugal violence in the city.
