Quebec's director of youth protection steps down after rehabilitation centre sex scandal

Quebec Youth Protection Chief Pressured to Resign Amid Misconduct Allegations

The head of Quebec's youth protection system is facing pressure from the provincial government to resign following allegations of sexual misconduct involving staff at a Montreal rehabilitation center, as well as a separate controversy in the Mauricie region.

Lionel Carmant, the minister responsible for social services, informed Radio-Canada on Monday that he has requested Catherine Lemay to step down.

Lemay has been serving as the director of Quebec youth protection services, a role established to oversee the system.

Last week, allegations emerged that nine female educators at the Cité-des-Prairies youth rehabilitation center in the Rivière-des-Prairies neighborhood of Montreal engaged in sexual relations with the youth in their care, many of whom were reportedly minors at the time, according to an investigation by the health authority.

Earlier this month, the youth protection office branch responsible for central Quebec and the Mauricie region was placed under trusteeship following a report indicating that children were being removed from their parents too hastily. The report highlighted that this region placed three times more children up for adoption compared to more populated areas of the province.

Carmant, who appointed Lemay to her position in 2021, remarked on Monday that his request for her resignation was a "difficult decision."