Jacques Gobin discusses his son Chris Gobin's life sentence for murder

Jacques Gobin, whose 19-year-old son will now serve at least 12 years in prison for murdering his mother, says he can forgive as long as his son is working to better himself.

Chris Gobin was sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 12 years on Thursday for stabbing his mother — 49-year-old Luce Lavertu — to death in their Orleans home in April 2014.

The teen, who was 18 at the time, had been struggling with mental health issues and was shutting people out, his father said in an interview with Radio-Canada on Friday, the day after his son's guilty plea and sentencing.

The family had gotten some help for Chris Gobin through a family doctor, a psychiatrist and a psychologist. But months later, after seeing no change, Chris Gobin told his father he only went because he was made to.

"It was a combination of shame of having a mental health disease and the normal frustration of being a teenager," Jacques Gobin said.

"It was building up and building up, and it just boiled over, unfortunately, for everybody involved. There was just nothing we could have done more for him."

'This is how you're forgiven, Chris; by doing better'

Sixteen months later, Chris Gobin's sister is starting Grade 12 and has only been able to deal with what happened "little by little," Jacques Gobin said.

He, meanwhile, said he's been kept going by the love, friendship and support of those around him.

As for forgiveness, Jacques Gobin said it's partly conditional.

"In my victim impact statement yesterday, I said that we can forgive him as long as he's doing his best, as long as he's letting people help him, as long as he's getting that help. Because if he stops, if ever he goes back to his old behaviour of shutting people out, well then something bad can happen again," he said.

"So it's almost like a conditional forgiveness. This is how you're forgiven, Chris; by doing better."