By Canadian Press

Quebec slow to improve public services for Indigenous people, says Ombudsman

Oct 4, 2023 | 11:40 AM

MONTREAL — The Quebec government has failed to implement most of the recommendations from a landmark 2019 report that said Indigenous people suffered systemic discrimination in public services.

Québec Ombudsman Marc-André Dowd made the declaration today about the government’s progress on the report by retired judge Jacques Viens, who made 142 recommendations.

Dowd says 11 recommendations have been fully implemented and another 34 are in progress.

The Quebec government appointed Viens in December 2016 to lead an inquiry into the barriers that Indigenous Peoples face when they seek access to public services.

Calls for an inquiry came after Indigenous women in Val-d’Or, Que., accused police of sexual assault and other forms of abuse.

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Dowd says the province has moved slowly because it lacks a strategy to implement Viens’ recommendations. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 4, 2023. 

The Canadian Press