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Malcolmson argued the NDP has increased voluntary, culturally safe supports since taking over government from the Liberals in 2017, but acknowledged “we still have a long road ahead.”
Youth arrested, handcuffed
Sometimes the police are called to pick these kids up and take them to the hospital for a mental health assessment. The children told Charlesworth that can often be very difficult.
“The majority of times, I’ve been handcuffed. If it was a nice officer, they would handcuff me in the front. If it was a dickhead, they’d handcuff me in the back. You’re kind of treated like you’re a criminal. They pat you down. They search you. You take off your shoes, empty your pockets. Sitting in the (hospital) waiting room with a cop beside you, you think: I hope no one sees me,” one boy said.
“The first time was when I was younger, 13, when (my family) read my texts. I had sprinted to my safe space. My mom’s boyfriend had called the cops. I was in the river. (The police) said if I ran, they would taser me. They cuffed me … it was so threatening as a kid,” another youth said.
In the most recent four years of data analyzed by the representative, the most common reason for apprehending youth under the Mental Health Act were: mood disorders (37 per cent), neurotic disorders (25 per cent), schizophrenia and other delusional disorders (12 per cent), and substance abuse (10 per cent).
She said youth experience fear and confusion when detained, and noted particular concern for First Nations youth given the way Indigenous people have had their rights violated through history because of residential schools and the child welfare system.
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