(Montreal) Manon Massey, co-spokesperson for Quebec solider, believes a new pilot program aimed at combating drug addiction in bars is misleading by putting all the burden on the victims.
Éduc’Alcool, in collaboration with the Service de police de la Ville de Montreal (SPVM), announced on Thursday the “Check your glasses” campaign, which offers to distribute 10,000 glass protectors to prevent malicious individuals from depositing them in drug consumption.
Photo by Caroline Boucher, Press of Canada
Québec solidaire co-spokesperson, Manon Massé
The plan was unveiled in the presence of Minister of Public Security François Bonnardel.
But according to the member for Saint-Marie-Saint-Jacques, this new campaign still targets victims too much and pays little attention to perpetrators.
In a statement issued on Friday, Mr.me Massey directly challenged Minister Bonnardel, insisting that women already knew to watch their drink carefully. According to her, glass protectors are not uninterested, but they “don’t solve the problem at the source”.
“The evidence in the public space is mounting, all pointing in the same direction: date-rape addiction is a concern for everyone. So why publish a campaign that puts all the blame on the victims? It’s ridiculous and insufficient,” she lamented.
Eduk’alcool and the SPVM deny that the victims bear any responsibility. They argue that the campaign wants to demonstrate that “everyone cares and everyone can really play a decisive role” in the problem.
“For witnesses, people who intoxicate people without knowing they are victims, the pilot program focuses on individual responsibilities, but also on collective actions”, underlines the press release published on Thursday.
