Tabling of the 2020-2021 Activity and Management Report
Montréal, September 30, 2021 – The Commission des droits de la personne et des droits de la jeunesse today submitted the 2020-2021 edition of its Activity and Management Report to the National Assembly. This was followed by a press conference to review the past year's results, highlight the main events and express certain human rights concerns.
The Commission was very active in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. First, it worked to guide public authorities’ decisions to ensure the Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms and the Youth Protection Act are upheld. This work has required regularly developing opinions or comments on the various health measures implemented by the Government of Québec. Then, by setting up of a strategic watch committee, the Commission was able to detect the impacts of these measures on rights and freedoms and provide responses to citizens’ questions. As of March 31, 2021, the “Your rights and COVID-19” section of the Commission’s website had been consulted close to 25,000 times.
The Commission wishes to point out that the Charter allows measures to be imposed to protect public health in contexts such as a pandemic. Under Section 9.1 the government can regulate the exercise of rights and freedoms in a manner consistent with public order and the general well-being of citizens. The Commission believes that this is one aspect of the Charter that needs to be better understood by the public.
“We received close to 3,000 requests under our human rights and youth rights mandates, and this is a record. The fact that we are in such high demand is good news, because it means that people know about us, and understand our role,” said Philippe-André Tessier, President of the Commission. However, he was careful to add that “this steady increase also represents a challenge for our organization.”
During the 2020-2021 year, nearly one third of the human rights investigation files opened involved discrimination on the grounds of “race,” colour, or ethnic or national origin. In addition, the number of racial profiling cases has been steadily increasing (86 investigations compared to 28 three years earlier). These observations led Myrlande Pierre, Vice-President of the Charter mandate, to remark that “the Commission is committed to a real mission of fighting systemic racism and discrimination and, as such, it is determined to assume a role as a key player in this area.”
Suzanne Arpin, Vice-President of the Commission’s youth mandate, seized the opportunity offered by the conference to underscore the calls for action voiced by the Public Inquiry Commission on relations between Indigenous Peoples and certain public services in Québec. On this point, she stated that “each of the entities concerned by the various recommendations must show greater determination when proposing actions. The credibility of the reconciliation process depends on it.”
Ms. Arpin also reiterated the Commission’s concern about the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on young people, as well as on very young children. In addition, after underscoring the three main messages heard by the Laurent Commission, she was pleased that some of the major recommendations made by the Commission des droits de la personne et des droits de la jeunesse were included in the Special Commission’s report, particularly regarding racial profiling and systemic discrimination.
Lastly, the press conference also gave the Commission the opportunity to highlight the publication of its 2021-2015 Strategic Plan and to discuss the plan’s three main orientations.
The Activity and Management Report and the Strategic Plan are available on the Commission’s website (in French only).
- 2020-2021 Activity and Management Report:
https://cdpdj.qc.ca/storage/app/media/publications/RA_2020_2021.pdf - 2021-2025 Strategic Plan:
https://cdpdj.qc.ca/storage/app/media/publications/Planification_strategique_2021-2025.pdf
The Commission des droits de la personne et des droits de la jeunesse upholds and promotes the principles stated in the Québec Charter of human rights and freedoms. It also protects the interests of children, and upholds and promotes the rights recognized under the Youth Protection Act. In addition, the Commission ensures enforcement of the Act respecting equal access to employment in public bodies.
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Photograph: Philippe-André Tessier, President of the Commission des droits de la personne et des droits de la jeunesse, holds the 2020-2021 Activity and Management Report.
Contact:
Sébastien Otis
514 617-0463
sebastien_otis@cdpdj.qc.ca
