The family of a woman who was last seen 14 months ago presented a petition to the national assembly on Thursday that asks for police officers to give more attention to the cases of missing adults.
Marilyn Bergeron, 24, disappeared in Quebec City. She was last seen at a coffee shop and a bank machine.
The petition held nearly 4,700 signatures.
"For us, this was our way to keep our heads above water," said her mother, Andree Bechard.
They were given a standing ovation in the national assembly.
Afterwards, the public security minister, Jacques Dupuis, said he agreed with some of their points.
"Historically police officers have been a little let's say shy in giving out info about their investigation," he said. "They should give regular information to the families."
He says officers will be sent to the US for training.
"When a person over 18 disappears police start the investigation asking whether that was a voluntary disappearance or not," said Dupuis. "When its a child of course the way they look at the investigation is different at the outset. Even when the person is over 18 years old they have to consider the worst case scenario so they can start acting right away."
