The Official Opposition at Montreal City Hall is calling for a real “action plan” from the Plante administration to better support victims of domestic violence, at a time when the number of suspected feminicides is on the rise across Quebec.
Posted at 10:23 a.m.
“We have just had a very dark year,” regrets the spokesperson for Ensemble Montreal in terms of diversity and the status of women, Stéphanie Valenzuela. The elected official thus refers to the 17 alleged femicides that occurred in 2021, a number that is up sharply from the eight that occurred the previous year. Others have already occurred in 2022.
In March 2021, a motion asking the City to set up several measures to support victims, including a free transportation service, a temporary storage service and a moving service, was adopted unanimously. None of these measures have been implemented since then, criticizes the opposition, which will table a new motion on March 21 to demand that the City move forward.
Mme Valenzuela affirms that it is necessary to quickly “multiply the preventive gestures” so as “never again to be confronted with such a heavy balance sheet”. His party is demanding that all available premises belonging to the City be “used free of charge by organizations”, many of which are struggling with a lack of space. The opposition also suggests the launch of two “periodic” communication campaigns to disseminate the coordinates of the available resources, which is already done in Longueuil in particular.
A “very concrete” boost
At SOS Violence Conjugale, the head of clinical support, Claudine Thibaudeau, welcomes these proposals. “These are good ideas. Victims often need a very concrete helping hand. Everything we can do to facilitate their extraction from a violent environment, it must be done, ”she says.
However, the fight against domestic violence is also much broader, recalls the worker. “It takes more accommodation places, and we also have to think about developing places in HLM for the future. There is a whole life after leaving a violent environment and the victims must feel safe there,” she maintains, recalling that the organizations are also in serious need of funding each year.
The director of the Federation of shelters for women, Manon Monastesse, agrees. “We need a direct channel with the City to obtain available land or buildings. It is estimated that three to four more houses are needed at this time, with 25 places each. Our occupancy rates are 110 to 120% right now. The situation is critical,” she maintains, deploring that she was never able to meet with the mayor’s office.
On the city’s executive committee, the person in charge of the status of women, Josefina Blanco, replies that several actions have already been taken. “We supported the launch of a crisis unit, initiated steps with the Regroupement des centers pour femmes victims de violence conjugale to inquire about the Allied Workplace certification against domestic violence, and set up a specialized section in spousal violence at the SPVM. We act on all fronts, ”she swears.
Montreal also claims to continue its discussions with the Legault government to increase funding for shelters, so that they can “increase their reception capacity, hire more workers, access suitable premises and ensure the free of charge for all services offered to beneficiaries, including transport”.