Indigenous representatives say they are “desperate” to hear the Legault government about their demands for youth protection.
The Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador (AFNQL) issued a press release on Monday in which it says worried and frustrated speak some echo that his many representations seem to have been in the work of the parliamentary committee studying Bill 15, work he says follow carefully.
L ‘AFNQL pointed out that the Viens Commission in 2019 and the Laurent Commission in 2021 both recommended a revision of the Youth Protection Act to better reflect the particularities of Indigenous peoples. For the organization representing 10 of Quebec’s First Countries, this means, in particular, more autonomy for communities, or even complete autonomy in the area of youth protection.
However, according to the organization, the Legault government did instead choosing to impose what it thinks is good for the community.
” The relentlessness of Minister Carmant (Minister for Health and Social Services) and his government to limit the governing capacity of our leaders is colonialism at its best. “
According to Ghislain Picard, here is the blatant abuse of our good faith and especially of our experts who have had no effort and strength to support the work of the various commissions that had to consider these questions..
It was not possible to speak to Mr Picard on Monday to find out more about the arguments behind these claims.
Support from Québec solidaire
Monday, the public release ofAFNQL resounded in the opposition party Québec solidaire, regretting thepaternalistic attitudes towards indigenous peoples of the Coalition avenir Québec (CAQ).
” Bill 15 is the perfect opportunity to reach out to Aboriginal people and make a concrete commitment on the path of reconciliation. CAQ cannot miss this important meeting. “
At the time of publication, it was not possible to get a reaction from Minister Delegate Lionel Carmant.
Aboriginal children are highly represented in DYP
In December, Minister Carmant introduced Bill 15, which specifically aims to give priority to the interests of the child in all decisions about him. This is to prevent, among other things, that children are often moved from one family to another.
Indigenous representatives, at that time, accepted the definite advances such as recognizing the concept of the extended family, to keep children within communities as much as possible.
L ‘AFNQL However, he regrets that the Legault government is closed to the idea that Native Nations can pass their own youth protection laws.
Arguing that it violated its jurisdiction, the Legault government also decided, in March, to challenge in the Court of Appeal federal law C-92 that authorizes the empowerment of indigenous peoples in child services. .
In Quebec, approximately 15% of children under the age of 14 in foster families are Aboriginal (50% in Canada), while they represent only about 3% of this population, according to Statistics Canada data from the 2016 census.
Source: Radio-Canada