The breathtaking story reconstructed by the deputy chief coroner of the search operation for the sisters Romy and Norah Carpentier and their father, Martin, carried out in July 2020, leaves a terrible doubt: whether the command of the Sûreté du Québec (SQ) had not multiplied the blunders in this crucial affair, would it have been possible to find the two little girls before their father committed the irreparable?
In his public inquiry report unveiled last week, coroner Luc Malouin cannot answer this question with certainty, but his findings are enough to raise doubt: the SQ hierarchy did not deal with the mysterious disappearance of the father and of his two daughters aged 6 and 11 as an absolute emergency. Everything that should have been done was not done. This punchy report which criticizes the governance of “too little too late” cannot be ignored, neither by the SQ, nor by Quebec.
This hunt kept Quebec in suspense in 2020. A joyful escapade at the creamery on a heatwave evening turned into a deadly tragedy. After making an unexplained swerve on Highway 20, Martin Carpentier fled with his children. Then begins a hunt to find the missing. Since they are two children and the mystery hangs over the reasons justifying the father’s flight, everything will be done to find them? Alas no.
The criticisms are severe: the hierarchy did not direct operations as if it could be the “worst case scenario”; qualified resources were lacking; the SQ did not enlist the help of potential partners who were willing; important clues were left aside for too many hours; the Amber Alert was not issued quickly enough, nor was the call to the media. Looking back on this fiasco afterwards provokes anger and indignation. In this context, we can understand the decision of the girls’ mother, Amélie Lemieux, to initiate legal proceedings against the SQ.
In its five-year report submitted to the National Assembly at the end of September, the UPAC Supervisory Committee recommended that a body be created to monitor Quebec’s national police forces, including the SQ, to examine the administration of investigations. or personnel management problems. The immense flaws of the Carpentier affair and the anemic governance of the SQ confirm the need for such a surveillance unit.
This text is part of our Opinion section. This is an editorial and, as such, it reflects the values and position of the Duty as defined by its director in collaboration with the editorial team.
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