The Ombudsperson

Raymonde Saint-Germain

Ms. Raymonde Saint-Germain, The Ombudsperson On June 9, 2011, Raymonde Saint-Germain was unanimously re-appointed for a second five-year term of office as Québec Ombudsperson by the Members of the National Assembly.

Ms. Saint-Germain has been the Québec Ombudsperson since April 2006. Her investiture coincided with the expansion of the institution’s responsibilities to include second-recourse reception and processing of citizen complaints in the health and social services sector. Her achievements as Québec Ombudsperson include the following special reports:

Towards Services that are Better Adjusted to Detainees with Mental Disorders,
The Québec Investigative Procedure for Incidents Involving Police Officers,
Report on Government Services for Children with PDDs,
Services Provided to Young People and Adults with a Pervasive Development Disorder,
Handling of the Listeriosis Crisis Surrounding Québec Cheeses.

"Remedy for a citizen – remedy for all citizens whenever a resolution has a collective impact" this is what Raymonde Saint-Germain’s team does every day... and why, above and beyond individual processing of complaints, the Québec Ombudsperson proposes preventive action, especially on the legislative front, and conducts system-wide investigations. Since 2006, she has recommended amendments to some 50 bills and draft regulations.

Her recommendations, whether they concern public administration or the health and social services network, always seek to strike a balance between delivery of quality services and responsible use of public monies. Keenly concerned about the plight of the most vulnerable members of our society, the Québec Ombudsperson pays special attention to the impact of public services on these citizens and the efforts made by government departments and agencies to understand them and to adapt accordingly.

Raymonde Saint-Germain has been the First Vice-President of the Association des ombudsmans et médiateurs de la Francophonie (AOMF) since November 2011. In June 2009, she received the Prix Orange award from the Association des groupes d’intervention en défense des droits en santé mentale du Québec for her initiative in leading a system-wide investigation into the infringement of the rights of hospitalized psychiatric patients.

Prior to becoming the Québec Ombudsperson, Ms. Saint-Germain worked in Québec’s public service for 32 years, holding a variety of management positions in the fields of privacy and access to information, human rights, communications, international relations, relations with the citizens, and immigration.

These positions included Assistant Deputy Minister at the Ministère des Relations internationales, Deputy Minister at the Ministère des Relations avec les citoyens et de l’Immigration, Éditrice officielle du Québec, and Deputy Minister at the Ministère de l’Immigration et des Communautés culturelles and at the Ministère des Services gouvernementaux.

Ms. Saint-Germain has a Bachelor’s degree in journalism and broadcast journalism from Université Laval and completed advanced studies at École nationale d’administration publique (ÉNAP).