Régine Laurent had made it her main recommendation; the government heard it. As promised, Quebec is moving forward with the creation of a Commissioner for the Welfare and Rights of Children, but the Charter that he will be responsible for applying will have to wait.
The Minister responsible for Social Services, Lionel Carmant, reached a new milestone in his important reform of the Youth Protection Directorate (DPJ), Thursday, by tabling Bill 37 “on the commissioner of well-being and children’s rights.
The elected official has been committed to this since the last mandate. In interview with The duty at the end of September, he confirmed that he was simply waiting for the green light from his government.
The bill presented Thursday by Mr. Carmant provides for the appointment of a commissioner with two-thirds of the votes of the National Assembly. Once adopted, it will also lead to the creation of an associate commissioner dedicated to indigenous children.
The commissioner, a sort of “ombudsman” for children’s rights, will be responsible for monitoring respect for the rights of minors in Quebec, in addition to monitoring young adults under 26 who have already been taken into care. by the youth protection system. It will also ensure “monitoring of all deaths of children for which an investigation or investigation has been carried out”.
In her report made public two years ago, the president of the Special Commission on the Rights of Children and Youth Protection, Régine Laurent, recommended the creation of a Charter of Children’s Rights, which would have provided for “the creation, role and mandate” of the Commissioner.
This won’t come right away. “It will probably be in phase three” of the reform, launched Mr. Carmant at Duty when launching its “phase two” last May.
The commissioner will also not inherit the youth protection powers of the Commission on Human Rights and Youth Rights. This was one of the ideas of the Laurent commission.
The bill entrusts the holder of the title of commissioner with a five-year mandate, renewable once.
Further details will follow.