Results of the Survey Publicly Released by the Commission

Fresh Take:

In Quebec, the cavalier handling of searches in youth centers remains a contentious issue, with uniform regulations yet to be implemented province-wide. Quebec Solidaire is pushing political powers to instate decisive ministerial guidelines for the matter.

"A comprehensive search is the most humiliating experience a 14-15 year old can endure," Maine Guillaume Cliche-Rivard of Quebec Solidaire, the MNA for Saint-Henri-Sainte-Anne, tells Le Devoir. As the party's social services spokesperson, he often visits youth centers and converses with children receiving rehabilitation services. Over the years, he has championed the cause for regularizing invasive searches, with some institutions requiring minors to disrobe, don a robe, and jump around suspiciously.

"These are minors seeking critical services to rebuild their lives," Cliche-Rivard emphasizes. "I recall a young person saying, 'I voluntarily returned to the CDPDJ because things were bad at home, and that's what happened in youth center. In the end, it was less awful at home.'"

Lawyer Mylène Leblanc considers it vital to establish "a rigid enough guideline that states the exception is the search."

"What the law dictates is that we should be in a situation where there's a warranted motive to believe it's risky for the child's safety or others. But the policies I see are incredibly broad: an e-cigarette could be deemed a danger to the unit. That makes no sense," Leblanc laments, insisting that it remains the institution's prerogative to define prohibited items.

Youth centers across Quebec vary considerably in their search protocols. For instance, on the North Shore, youth can undergo a brief search (by pat-down or metal detector) or a complete search (post-disrobing and towel-covering) with no clear directives. In the Laurentians, procedures are significantly more detailed—a visual examination of specific body parts, such as feet soles, hand interiors, mouth, underarm areas, and hair, is conducted, allowing the searched individual to keep the given garments.

Cliche-Rivard underscores the disparity between a youth's rights in Estrie versus Saint-Hyacinthe and emphasizes that the Commission des droits de la personne et de la jeunesse (CDPDJ) requested the government to create national guidelines back in 2023 following a Radio-Canada investigation that revealed over 5,700 complete searches occurred in 2022.

Although he understands the need for invasive searches in critical situations, Cliche-Rivard encourages the government to develop guidance that acknowledges the humiliation faced by adolescents during these encounters. "Can we meditate on the embarrassment that it may represent for a 16-year-old youth to be stripped naked for a key or an e-cigarette?" he queries.

Expressing concerns over the proper application of these measures, Lesley Hill, the national director of youth protection, advocates for a balanced approach between safety and respectful interventions. The Minister responsible for Social Services, Lionel Carmant, remains cryptic regarding potential national directives.

Maine Guillaume Cliche-Rivard, the MNA for Saint-Henri-Sainte-Anne and spokesperson for Quebec Solidaire's social services, often visits Quebec's youth centers and discussed the humiliating experience of comprehensive searches.
Cliche-Rivard emphasizes the importance of establishing clear guidelines for searches in youth centers, as these institutions currently vary widely in their search procedures.
Lawyer Mylène Leblanc advocate for a guideline that states the exception is the search, criticizing current policies that she believes are overly broad and nonsensical.
In the Laurentians, youth undergo more detailed searches, while on the North Shore, searches can be brief or complete with no clear directives. Cliche-Rivard highlights the disparity between search procedures in Estrie versus Saint-Hyacinthe.
Despite the need for invasive searches in critical situations, Cliche-Rivard encourages the government to develop guidance that acknowledges the potential embarrassment and humiliation experienced by adolescents during these encounters, emphasizing the interdependence of safety and respectful interventions in health-and-wellness, fitness-and-exercise, and mental-health contexts.