November 7, 2002 - 2 — Le Protecteur du citoyen

32nd Québec Ombudsman Annual Report (2001-2002)

"Above and Beyond the Law"

Mission Statement

What does the Québec Ombudsman do?

The role of the Québec Ombudsman is to watch out for mistakes, omissions or injustices committed by Quebec government departments and agencies, prevent them from occurring and ensure that they are corrected when they do occur. The Ombudsman's office plays an important role in the protection of citizens' fundamental rights and freedoms with respect to the government and in improving the quality of public services.

Over the course of 2001-2002, 25,249 people appealed to the Ombudsman, for a wide variety of reasons. Whenever a complaint by an individual, group or business fell under the Ombudsman's jurisdiction, an inquiry was launched. If the complaint was substantiated, the government department or agency was asked to correct the error or injustice. Ninety-seven per cent of the recommendations issued this year were followed by the departments and agencies targeted.

The Québec Ombudsman is an impartial entity, independent from the government. She is appointed by the National Assembly, to which she reports. The services of the Ombudsman are easily accessible, free of charge and confidential.

The Québec Ombudsman is also an agent of change

Under the scope of her mission and in light of the experience she has acquired over the years, the Québec Ombudsman often intervenes to change laws, bills and regulations as well as administrative guidelines, procedures and policies, always with the interest of the citizen at heart. The Ombudsman thus aims to prevent situations that could prove prejudicial to citizens. For example, this year the Ombudsman drafted a number of recommendations to certain departments and presented several briefs before Parliamentary Committees. The topics included:

The bill to amend the Act respecting access to documents held by public bodies and the protection of personal information, the Act Respecting the Protection of Personal Information in the Private Sector, the Professional Code and other legislation;
The draft bill regarding the Act respecting the Québec correctional system;
The draft bill on the Québec Health Card Act;
The bill on the Health and Social Services Ombudsman;
The bill to amend the Highway Safety Code and the Code of Penal Procedure regarding photographic speed-measuring devices;
The bill to amend the Act respecting the Ministère du Revenu and other legislative provisions, chiefly with respect to divulging confidential information to the police, and the powers of the Québec Ombudsman;
The bill regarding the Public Health Act.

Aside from these interventions, the Ombudsman also submitted a report to the Minister of Justice on the Crime Victims Compensation Plan, entitled: Le contrecoup du crime à assumer par l'État ["The Effects of Crime Assumed by the State" – in French only]. In it, Ms. Champoux-Lesage decries the unfair treatment of crime victims as compared to victims covered under other compensation plans.

Finally, at the Forum on Compulsive Gambling, organized by the Minister of State for Health and Social Services, Ms. Champoux-Lesage presented her comments in a document entitled: Réflexion du Protecteur du citoyen sur les jeux de hasard et d'argent, le rôle de l'État et sur la liberté et la responsabilité des citoyens ["The Ombudsman's Commentary on Gambling, the Role of the State and the Freedom and Responsibility of Citizens" – in French only].

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