Bill 15 on youth protection must be improved, says Regine Laurent

Quebec City -

The Legault government must do more and improve its Bill 15 on youth protection in order to place the interests of the child above all others, says Régine Laurent, president of the Commission spéciale sur les droits des enfants et la protection de la jeunesse (CSDEPJ). 

Currently, in the bill, the interest of the child is only "one consideration among others," said the woman who chaired the special commission formed in 2019 after the death of the Granby girl.

Laurent, who published a strong report with 60 recommendations last April, was the first person to speak on Tuesday at the opening of public consultations on Bill 15.

She said that while the legislation "largely" addresses her recommendations, there are still some major areas for improvement.

She emphasized that the best interests of the child must be put first, even though this may have the effect of putting the interests of parents and other stakeholders second.

"The best interests of the child is really at the heart of the work of the commission, and we see, both in the recitals and in the proposals in certain articles, that 'must be a primary consideration.'"

"What questions me is that, when we read that, it means that it is one consideration among others. This is not at all the spirit in which we have worked," she said.

Laurent called on the government to be "more assertive."

Earlier, the Minister of Health and Social Services, Lionel Carmant, pointed out that Bill 15 was "the biggest revision of the Youth Protection Act in 44 years."

The good of the child should be better taken into account, in principle, as soon as the bill is adopted, he said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Feb. 8, 2022.