Holly McKenzie
Biography: Holly McKenzie (PhD) is a community-engaged, white-settler researcher who works in partnership with Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities to advance change. Her research primarily focuses on reproductive justice and health, in which she works to advance program, policy and legislative responses to support pregnant and parenting people who use substances. Holly is an Assistant Professor in the School of Public Health at the University of Saskatchewan, an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Gender, Religion and Critical Studies at the University of Regina, and co-director of the Politics of Reproduction Research Group. In addition to academic publishing, Holly shares her research through various strategies. You can learn more about Holly’s research at www.hollyannmckenzie.ca
Award Date: Apr 2026
Title: Analyzing SK’s proposed Compassionate Intervention Act within the Western Canadian context
Primary Investigator: Holly McKenzie
Collaborators: Drs. Alana Cattapan, Barb Fornssler, Elaine Hyshka, Katarina Bogosavljevic
Description: This project will conduct a comparative analysis of involuntary SU treatment legislation at two levels: (1) a cross-jurisdictional comparison of newly proposed or implemented involuntary SU treatment legislation across Western Canada, and (2) an in-depth intra-jurisdictional analysis within SK that examines law, policy, and practice enabling involuntary treatment and/or care relevant to the new compassionate intervention proposal (Bill 48). This SK-focused analysis will attend to emerging decision-making frameworks, statutory criteria and intervention thresholds, consent and capacity considerations, mandated care pathways, patient rights and safeguards, datacapture, service delivery settings, public reporting, and recognition of Indigenous collective rights.
Objectives:
1. Review and describe the legislative landscape for:
a. Involuntary SU treatment across BC, AB, SK, and MB, and
b. Involuntary SU treatment and SK’s existing frameworks for involuntary care (e.g., Mental Health Services Act, Youth Drug Detoxification and Stabilization Act)
2. Reveal how the law, policy, and practice landscape supports (or undermines) the proposed legislation and the broader context of involuntary treatment legislation.
3. Provide an understanding of how the legislation will likely be implemented, and discuss implications for government, SK health authority, health care professionals, researchers, and community organizations.
