Emotions ran high during a public forum held by Quebec’s commission on youth protection in Montreal on Wednesday.
Members of the public, many of whom have been through or worked in the youth protection system, vented their frustration and anger at the commission.
“The thing about these commissions is that there’s always the usual routine,” Leith Hamilton told Global News during the meeting. “It’s like rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.”
Wednesday’s public forum was the only English-language event of the 22 set to be held by the commission, which heard from the public as well as those working in youth protection.
The commission was launched in late October to look into the funding and organization of Quebec’s youth protection system following the tragic death of a seven-year-old Granby girl in April 2019. Her father and stepmother have both been charged in connection with her death, and an internal investigation found the child’s death was due to gaps in the province’s youth protection system.
People like Hamilton, a former social worker who was also a child in the youth protection system, said they’ve been pointing out some of these deficiencies for decades.
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“Something happens in the community — a death — there’s public outrage, the government is embarrassed, they do a commission like this, they get us all involved and then they don’t act on the recommendations,” he explained.
He says that too often the families have no voice and are left to fend for themselves.
Another problem, according to Judy Martin, former president of Batshaw Youth and Family Services, is the lack of resources.
She blames some of the problems on Bill 10, which was brought in by the previous provincial Liberals. The legislation got rid of the boards of individual health institutions and merged them into 28 regional boards.
She admitted there were problems before that, which she also blames on cuts to child services.
“Kids are complicated,” she said. “Kids come with very complex problems, and it’s not a cookie-cutter solution.”
She said authorities are now playing catch-up, and she believes the system needs changing. But she’s hopeful.
“I don’t want anybody out there to think nothing is being done,” she said. “A lot is being done, but more can always be done.”
The commission has until the end of November 2020 to file its final report.
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