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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
No. The Protecteur du citoyen is not mandated to do so. To discuss the possibility of having legislation amended, contact your MNA.
Yes. This is called making a report to the Protecteur du citoyen. You can call in the report or use our complaint form.
Unless you want feedback from us, you do not have to provide any personal information.
Denounce a reprehensible act
As soon as we receive your complaint, our reporting centre acknowledges receipt. We will phone you within 2 working days.
We examine your complaint within 10 working days to determine whether we can process it. Among other things, we check that it is indeed a reprisal or threat of reprisal. If the reprisal is not within our jurisdiction, we quickly refer you to the appropriate recourse.
If we can handle your complaint, we inform you of this and suggest a mediation process that may lead to a rapid settlement. If you agree to mediation and the person who allegedly committed reprisal agrees, mediation can take place. Mediation must occur within 30 days of the mediator being appointed.
If no settlement is reached or if mediation is refused, you have two options.
First, we offer you a free legal representation service. We can represent you in any administrative or civil proceedings we deem appropriate, including before the Tribunal administratif du travail (TAT) if your complaint is employment-related. When this happens, your complaint is transferred to the TAH without delay, if you agree.
The second option is to hold an administrative investigation within 9 months of receiving your complaint to determine whether reprisal has occurred. This investigation can only be carried out if the courts are not involved. If we find that reprisal has occurred, we make recommendations to rectify the situation.
In addition to these last options, we can also conduct a criminal investigation to determine whether there is an offence in connection with your reprisal complaint.
To find out more, see the Handling reprisal complaints page and our Service statement.
If your disclosure is not within our jurisdiction, we may transfer it to another public integrity body. This may include the following recourse:
- The Anti-Corruption Commissioner if you want to report acts of corruption or collusion in the public sector.
- The Protecteur national de l’élève if your complaint concerns a school, whether public or private.
- The Office of the Inspector of Ville de Montréal if your disclosure concerns the awarding and execution of contracts by Ville de Montréal.
- The Commission municipale du Québec if your disclosure concerns a municipal body or a breach of ethics by elected municipal officials.
- The Autorité des marchés publics if your disclosure concerns compliance in awarding and granting public contracts.
- The Commissaire à l’éthique et à la déontologie of the National Assembly if your disclosure concerns the Protecteur du citoyen.
Please note: as a rule, you will notified that your information has been transferred and your identity will be protected unless you consent to its disclosure.