Quebec has most not criminally responsible verdicts in country [Video]

When Pierre Ny St-Amand was found not criminally responsible last month for crashing a city bus into a Laval, Que., daycare in 2023, the verdict was met with anger, confusion and frustration by some parents of the children impacted by the incident.

Although there was no doubt Ny St-Amand was behind the wheel of the bus that killed two children and injured six others, Quebec Superior Court Justice Éric Downs found Ny St-Amand to be not criminally responsible — a recommendation made by both the Crown and defence. Downs said the evidence showed he was experiencing psychosis at the time.

“It’s shocking to us to see how they talk about him,” said Mélanie Goulet, following the verdict at the Laval courthouse.

Her daughter Emma survived after being trapped under the bus.

“It feels like he’s the victim,” said Goulet.

Ny St-Amand’s verdict is among a number of high-profile cases in Quebec where the accused was found not criminally responsible for their actions due to a …