Mercedes Perez delivers keynote address at Mad Hatter Tea Party

July 9, 2014 - Toronto - Mercedes Perez gave the keynote speech at the 2014 “Mad Hatter Tea Party”.  The theme this year was “Debate is Better than Denial”. The event was organized by the Empowerment Council in honour of Mad Pride Week and took place at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health.  The event focused on the importance of ongoing debate on issues arising from the continued reliance on coercion in the delivery of psychiatric treatment. 

Mercedes also spoke about the Empowerment Council’s constitutional challenge to the Box B and Community Treatment Order provisions in Ontario’s Mental Health Act. Mercedes and Marshall Swadron were co-counsel in the application.  The decisions in Thompson and Empowerment Council v. Ontario can be accessed at the links below: 

http://www.canlii.org/en/on/onsc/doc/2013/2013onsc5392/2013onsc5392.html
http://www.canlii.org/en/on/onsc/doc/2013/2013onsc6357/2013onsc6357.html