Opposition MNAs are attacking the provincial government for delaying action to safeguard teens living in group homes.
Jean-Francois Lisée said that when the Parti Quebecois was in power, it commissioned a report regarding teenagers in youth protection homes.
That report indicating teens in group homes were vulnerable to being sexually exploited was finished in February 2014, weeks before the Liberal party was elected, and was never acted upon.
"In April 2014 someone took the political decision, in the Liberal government, to stop this work," said Lisée.
Nathalie Roy, the CAQ critic for the status of women, said that both the PQ and the Liberals have dropped the ball.
"It's been two years. The PLQ knew it, the PQ knew it and nothing has been done yet. It's awful. We have to protect our children, our young girls, and we have to act," said Roy.
Youth Protection Minister Lucie Charlebois and Public Security Minister reiterated Wednesday that the government was going to audit the Laval group home and take additional action to protect teenagers.
She said the idea that the government was slow to act was ridiculous.
"Everyone knows that prostitution has always existed, that street gangs have always existed, that organized crime has always existed. Am I going to talk about the past all day, all week? No thank you," said Charlebois.
"What I am going to do is work to protect our youth."
In the past two weeks five girls have run away from a Laval group home, and police suspect many of them are being lured by gangs that want to force them into prostitution.
