MONTREAL -- The Quebec government announced Friday that it is reserving $19.2 million for three measures to better facilitate access to justice for Indigenous people in the province.
"In order to respond to the issues raised by the commissioners of the two commissions of inquiry, we have chosen to implement and support measures that are entirely intended for Aboriginals and in which they are an integral part of the solution," said Minister of Justice Simon Jolin-Barrette.
First, Quebec wants, among other things, to improve access to Indigenous language interpreter services to the tune of $5.5 million.
Next, Quebec will spend $6 million to deploy more Indigenous court workers and give pay bumps ($1 million) to those already working in the system, in order to retain them.
Finally, Quebec wants to spend $7.7 million to hire Indigenous workers for victims of crime specializing in youth protection that will work throughout the CAVAC network and Indigenous victim support organizations.
"These measures help improve the access of Indigenous communities to legal services adapted to their needs and cultural specificities," said Jolin-Barrette
The announcement was made Friday at a news conference.
“The concrete measures announced today give greater place to the participation of First Nations and Inuit in the administration of justice," said minister responsible for Indigenous relations Ian Lafreniere. "I hope that these measures will help reduce inequities between communities and between nations with regard to justice."
-- with files from The Canadian Press.
