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Situation report
First Nations and Inuit rights in public services
The Protecteur du citoyen published 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.
Frequently Asked Questions
Make a complaint
As a rule, the Protecteur du citoyen handles complaints concerning the Directeur de la protection de la jeunesse (DPJ) at the second level.
First you have to take your complaint to the service quality and complaints commissioner. The complaint assistance and support centre (CAAP) in your region can help you.
If you are dissatisfied with the outcome (decision by the commissioner’s office, grounds, attitude, processing time), you can then contact us.
Please note: The Protecteur du citoyen cannot challenge a DPJ decision or have a social worker’s or another professional’s assessment report changed (e.g. a decision about the assessment of a report or any measure to help a young person and their family).
However, it can look into whether the administrative rules specific to DPJ operations were applied correctly for the case submitted to it. For example, did the caseworker check the facts thoroughly and gather all the information on the child’s situation? There is a procedure for this. Was it followed? Did the DPJ comply with court orders about child access or other issues? When relevant, the Protecteur du citoyen recommends that the DPJ make the required changes.
If the DPJ and the parents of a child disagree (about the child being removed from the family environment, for example), the Chambre de la jeunesse can hear the case and its decision is then applied by the DPJ.
Here again, the Protecteur du citoyen cannot act to have the decision overturned, but it can act concerning the DPJ’s compliance with rules and practices.
We will respond to your request within 30 days of receiving it. If we are unable to process your request within the first 20 days, we will notify you of the 10-day extension, in accordance with the Act respecting Access to documents held by public bodies and the Protection of personal information.
Denounce a reprehensible act
When the investigation is completed, we report our conclusions to the highest-ranking administrative official within the public body concerned. If the circumstances warrant it, we notify the minister responsible for the public body. Where applicable, we make recommendations.
If we feel that the public body in question did not take any satisfactory measures within a reasonable time following our recommendations, we notify the minister responsible for the public body concerned. We may also report the situation in our annual report or in a special report tabled in the National Assembly.
See the Alleged wrongdoer and Handling disclosures pages for information about our investigation procedure.
Your identity and the information you provide are treated in strictest confidence. The information disclosed is accessible only to persons authorized to consult it in the performance of their duties at the Protecteur du citoyen.
However, the purpose of your complaint is to repair the damage you have suffered because of reprisal.
As a result, during our investigation we will have to reveal your identity, that of the person who carried out reprisal or of certain witnesses, particularly if administrative, civil or criminal recourse has been exercised.
To find out more, contact us directly.