MONTREAL -- The department of youth protection (DPJ) should be the “intensive care” unit of the child protection system, not a gateway to obtain services, said special commission for youth protection chair Regine Laurent Friday.

She drew this conclusion at a news conference to mark the end of the commission’s public hearings that were launched in reaction to the sad death of a young girl from Granby last year, who died despite a report to the DPJ.

The hearings began in October and ended Thursday, virtually.

Citizens, experts and groups submitted a total of 225 briefs.

The president and her team will now analyze everything that has been submitted to them.

Laurent reported that what shocked her most throughout the months of the hearings was the distress and suffering.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 29, 2020.