Quebec Premier Francois Legault says his government will announce new mental health investments after a fatal sword attack in the provincial capital on Halloween night.
Legault said this morning that the attack raises "all kinds of questions" about mental illness, adding his junior health minister would make an announcement on the subject this afternoon.
However, Legault said it's unrealistic to think all violent tragedies can be avoided.
Two people were killed and five others wounded in the attack in Quebec City's historic neighbourhood, allegedly carried out by a man wearing medieval garb who travelled there from Montreal's north shore.
A 24-year-old suspect has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder and five of attempted murder.
The attack prompted Quebec City Mayor Regis Labeaume to call for a wider societal debate on mental health, which he described as the biggest security issue facing Canada's major cities in the coming years.
"It's becoming more and more difficult to manage in our cities. It's become more difficult for our police officers who are almost transformed, who are becoming social workers, and that's not their job," Labeaume said Sunday.
Legault told a news conference in Montreal today that the solutions being envisioned include a closer working relationship between social workers and police.
Meanwhile, the province's public security minister, Genevieve Guilbault, says extra mental health supports have been made available for those affected by the tragedy.
Residents of Old Quebec had already begun the grieving process Sunday, gathering for impromptu vigils for the victims, 61-year-old Suzanne Clermont and 56-year-old Francois Duchesne.
A publication ban protects the identities of those who were wounded, but officials say all five are expected to survive.
