Québec, le 30 septembre 2021 – In her 2020-2021 Annual Report, Québec Ombudsperson Marie Rinfret pinpoints major flaws in the quality of the public services provided by Government of Québec departments and agencies. This year’s investigations also revealed wrongdoing within certain public bodies.
"The pandemic that continues to affect us has clearly shown that public services must always be inspired to act with humanity and empathy. Unfortunately, some government and agency services have delivered mediocre performances," said the Ombudsperson.
Examples of failings by departments and agencies
- A crime victim qualified for psychological assistance from the Direction générale de l’indemnisation des victimes d’actes criminels (DGIVAC). An assessment of her condition confirmed that the psychotherapy sessions had to be done by phone. DGIVAC refused, claiming that phone psychotherapy sessions were not covered by the compensation plan and might breach confidentiality. The Protecteur du citoyen had the decision changed.
- The Curateur public sometimes lacked the rigour that is part and parcel of its protective mission. For example, it took 15 years before it replaced a tutor who had made suspicious transactions using a represented person’s money.
- This year, the Protecteur du citoyen noted a substantial spike in the number of complaints concerning documents lost by the Ministère de l’Immigration, de la Francisation et de l’Intégration, including those sent by mail. Such failings are unacceptable given the importance of the issues involved for immigration candidates.
- The Protecteur du citoyen received complaints from the residents of a housing cooperative about being harassed and bullied by the administrator and manager. When the Protecteur du citoyen insisted, the Société d’habitation du Québec finally agreed to investigate. The Protecteur du citoyen will keep a close eye on the recommendations made to the agency.
A few figures
Among the main grounds for substantiated complaints in 2020-2021, four causes for dissatisfaction about government department and agency services recur the most often:
- Lengthy wait times (48.5%);
- Failure to uphold rights (16.4%);
- Failings with a financial impact (14.3%);
- Poor information quality (10.2%).
A major gain for victims of violence
In an opinion published in 2017, the Protecteur du citoyen recommended eliminating any prescription period for civil actions in cases of sexual assault, violence suffered during childhood, or violence by a spouse or an ex-spouse. A law was passed in 2020 in response to this recommendation.
Public integrity disclosures
In 2020-2021, the Protecteur du citoyen received 190 disclosures and 42 requests for assistance under the Act to facilitate the disclosure of wrongdoings relating to public bodies.
"When the Protecteur du citoyen intervenes to correct a wrongdoing, it sends a clear message to public services and the population about maintaining the highest public integrity standards. We must never lower the guard in being vigilant," cautioned Marie Rinfret.
Examples of integrity breaches
- In a health institution: a person in charge of a family medicine group (GMF) converted local community service centre (CLSC) emergency patient visits into GMF visits. The purpose of the scheme was to obtain Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux funding. The Protecteur du citoyen approached the CISSS in question to put an end to such practices.
- In a public body: managers had authorized paid overtime for unworked hours so that staff could be recruited or retained.
The Protecteur du citoyen, which acts impartially and independently, ensures that the rights of citizens are upheld in their dealings with public services. The Ombudsman’s services are free and user-friendly.
See the highlights of the Protecteur du citoyen’s 2020-2021 Annual Report in the Annual reports section.
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Media Relations:
Carole-Anne Huot
Phone: (418) 646-7143/Cell: (418) 925-7994
Email: carole-anne.huot@protecteurducitoyen.qc.ca
