Last week, the Quebec government announced the appointment of a national youth protection direction. The conditions of this appointment raise several questions, while a final report of the Special Commission on Children’s Rights and Youth Protection is still expected to come in the coming weeks. The IBCR has therefore shared an open letter with 6 other organisations to ask for more clarifications and to recall the recommendations made to the commission.
In February 2020, a collective of 16 Quebec organisations, including the International Bureau for Children’s Rights, submitted a brief to the Laurent Commission, highlighting the fact that “transparency, independence, investigative and monitoring capacity, an autonomous and substantial budget, and the power to compel access to information are all internationally recognised criteria that are necessary for an efficient monitoring body in the service of children and the public interest. “.
So far, the positioning of the National Youth Care Directorate as Deputy Minister does not seem to have taken into account these fundamental criteria, which allow the chosen monitoring body to carry out a truly independent work, serving children first, rather than the system.
Seven organisations signed the letter:
– Amnesty International Canada francophone
– International Bureau for Children’s Rights
– Byenvini in Montreal
– Lanaudière Native Friendship Centre
– Equitas
– Exeko
– Médecins du Monde Canada