The Quebec Liberal Party (PLQ) has officially requested an initiative mandate from the health and social services commission (CSSS) in the fight against date-rape drugs.
The instigator of this initiative, official opposition public security critic Jennifer Maccarone, believes that the use of date-rape drugs is a scourge, and claims to have met several young women who have been victims.
Date-rape drugs refer to substances administered without a person's knowledge, such as GHB, particularly at parties, in bars and restaurants.
Last September, the Coalition Avenir Quebec (CAQ) government used its majority to block the creation of a provincial plan to combat date-rape drugs, proposed by the PLQ, explaining that it had already announced eleven measures concerning these substances last June.
A few months before this refusal, the Liberal MNA for Westmount--Saint-Louis had tabled a petition with 425 signatories in support of such a plan.
Now, the PLQ is turning to the CSSS to set up a parliamentary commission that would allow victims, experts and bar industry players to examine the issue.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on May 19, 2024.
