Minister Carmant again urged to resign

Photo: Jacques Boissinot The Canadian Press The Minister responsible for Social Services, Lionel Carmant, accompanied by the new national director of the DPJ, Lesley Hill, Thursday, at the National Assembly.

Isabelle Porter in Quebec

Published at 10:52 Updated at 11:07

• Quebec

Despite the arrival on the scene of the new national director of the Youth Protection Directorate (DPJ), Lesley Hill, new members of parliament are demanding the resignation of the minister responsible for Social Services, Lionel Carmant.

On Thursday morning, Québec solidaire formally asked Minister Carmant to resign. MP Guillaume Cliche-Rivard believes that after six years in office, Mr. Carmant has failed to straighten out the network.

“The straw that broke the camel’s back,” he says, was the minister’s refusal to immediately relocate the youth housed at the Mont Saint-Antoine rehabilitation centre in Montreal. The Commission des droits de la personne et des droits de la jeunesse had recommended this following a damning investigation report on Wednesday.

200% Deposit Bonus up to €3,000 180% First Deposit Bonus up to $20,000

The Liberal Party had already asked the minister to step down earlier this week. Mr. Carmant was in embarrassment in particular because of allegations of sexual misconduct between nine educators and young people from the Rehabilitation Center for Young People with Adjustment Difficulties in Cité-des-Prairies.

An embarrassment to which was added, Thursday morning, another scandal revealed by La Presse on the desire of the Estrie DPJ to place triplets in separate families when the mother was able to take care of them.

In this context, a minister dedicated 100% to the “crisis at the DPJ” is needed from the outset, argues Mr. Cliche-Rivard.

The interim leader of the Liberal Party, Marc Tanguay, reiterated that Minister Carmant must step down. “He has to go,” he said.

In the opposition ranks, only the leader of the Parti Québécois believes he should stay. In his opinion, the time will come to replace him after the 2026 elections.

The government was “a little brave to appoint me”

Calls for her resignation came one after another just before the press conference where Minister Carmant presented the new national director of the Youth Protection Directorate (DPJ), Lesley Hill, who was appointed shortly afterward.

In front of journalists, Ms. Hill, who had sat on the Laurent commission, said she had come out of retirement for “the children.”

“I'm going to be there to be the watchdog, but also the guardian angel, to speak for these children. »

The new director was appointed at the last minute to replace Catherine Lemay in the wake of the revelations about the Cité-des-Prairies Rehabilitation Centre.

She says that “transparency” will be at the heart of her priorities and that she will give, upon taking up her post, a “directive” to order the network's staff to report any bad practices.

The new director also promised to clean up the network. “We're going to have to put lights in every closet in the house,” she said.

Ms. Hill also said it was “a bit brave of the government to put a girl like [her] in a position like that” because she is a “vocal girl” who won't “be shy” about saying what she “has to say.”

More details to follow.