The New Brunswick Liberals are following through on a campaign promise, with new legislation to create a mental health advocate. “Creating this role will ensure that people don’t fall through the cracks, and we’ll get systemic reviews of situations that that can be reviewed,” Justice Minister Robert McKee said in a press conference on Wednesday. If the bill is passed, the role would go to Kelly Lamrock, who is currently the provincial advocate for children and youth, older adults and people with mental or physical disabilities. Lamrock said he’s prepared to take on the additional work. “We already have access to the people who can guide us in that. Certainly, like anything else, I have to multitask. I’m not unfamiliar with doing that,” he told reporters. The bill comes as Lamrock says there is an additional $300,000 to help with the increased service. The mental health advocate role would be different than existing services like psychiatric patient advocates. “It’s worth noting that the office is not an office of legal counsel,” Lamrock said. “We’re a quasi-judicial office. It means, essentially, I have the authority through the legislature to review actions of the executive branch, whether through a department or a government authority, and say, here’s what I think is right and wrong,” he added. The bill has not yet been passed. For more New Brunswick news, visit our dedicated provincial page.
