Québec City, November 6, 2025 – The Ombudsperson, Marc-André Dowd, today released a situation report on the implementation of the calls for action of the Public Inquiry Commission on relations between Indigenous Peoples and certain public services in Québec: listening, reconciliation and progress (CERP in French), also known as the Viens Commission.
This report presents a qualitative analysis of the implementation of 129 calls for action of the CERP. The other 13 calls for action will be addressed in the next follow-up report, which will focus on youth protection. The situation report published today is based on responses provided by the government departments and agencies targeted by the CERP and exchanges with the Advisory Circle composed of First Nations and Inuit organizations.
“Our first follow-up report was published two years ago and there are still serious concerns about the respect for First Nations and Inuit rights in Québec public services. Moreover, the current context of budget restrictions and the non-renewal of certain funding compromise several gains and even risk resulting in setbacks,” Marc-André Dowd declared.
The challenges persist
The report presents the progress achieved and the persistent challenges based on four themes: cultural safety, linguistic rights, self-determination and overall issues.
The Act to establish the cultural safety approach within the health and social services network (Cultural Safety Act), adopted in 2024, requires a profound transformation of both vision and practices to be applied. The Protecteur du citoyen finds that there is no provision for funding and that Santé Québec has not established a common plan for all of its institutions. In addition, a cultural safety approach should also be applied in the other public services (public security, justice, education, etc.) and not be limited to the health and social services sector.
Moreover, the hiring of First Nations and Inuit personnel is fundamental to guarantee cultural safety in the offer of services. The Protecteur du citoyen notes, however, that their recruitment and retention is still difficult because of the structural precariousness of the positions offered. According to the Protecteur du citoyen, the end of several fundings compromises essential measures, such as training of personnel in detention facilities.
The Protecteur du citoyen also finds that the exceptions to the Charter of the French Language, which seek to protect the linguistic rights of First Nations and Inuit, include blind spots in their concrete application. Some examples that attest to this are:
- First Nations anglophone midwives who ensure adapted cultural support in their community are not legally authorized to provide this support after a transfer to a hospital outside the community.
- Indigenous youths housed in rehabilitation centres for youth with difficulties allegedly continue to receive instructions forbidding them to speak their Indigenous mother tongue with other youths in the facility.
Recommendations for moving forward:
To support the continuity of government action, the Protecteur du citoyen formulates four key recommendations:
- Adopt a detailed multi-year plan for implementing the Cultural Safety Act.
- Develop a government strategy with regards to cultural safety and ensure planning and long-term funding of cultural safety initiatives.
- Reconcile the application of the Charter of the French Language with the principles of cultural safety and the specific rights of First Nations and Inuit regarding Indigenous languages.
- Engage with the Indigenous representatives in a formal process to adopt Québec legislation ensuring the implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). In this regard, the Protecteur du citoyen considers that the UNDRIP is an essential foundation that must support any initiative of reconciliation, collaboration, recognition of rights and co-construction with the First Nations and Inuit.
“The issues raised in our report show the scope of the work that remains to be accomplished, work that must be based on formal recognition and real integration of the right to self-determination of the First Nations and Inuit,” Mr. Dowd concluded.
The Situation Report: Implementation of the calls for action of the Public Inquiry Commission on relations between Indigenous Peoples and certain public services in Québec: listening, reconciliation and progress is accessible in the Special investigations section of the Protecteur du citoyen website.
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Information:
Carole-Anne Huot, media relations coordinator
Phone: 418 646-7143/Cell: 418 925-7994
Email: medias@protecteurducitoyen.qc.ca
