Brigitte Garceau

DDO parish celebrates 60 years

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , , ,

By Chelsey St-Pierre
The Suburban

St-Luke’s Parish celebrated its 60th anniversary with a Mass held at the Dollard-des-Ormeaux arena last week. Some 900 parishioners attended the event along with 300 live-stream viewers. Dollard-des-Ormeaux Mayor Alex Bottausci and the MNA for Robert-Baldwin Brigitte Garceau were in attendance.

The Mass led by St-Luke’s own Father Bertrand Montpetit was presented with an opening statement from parishioner and volunteer at St-Luke’ Luc Milette. Bishop Bob Harris, Episcopal Vicar Father Jean-Marie Billwala and Abbot Gilles Surprenant were honoured with special mentions for their contributions and support to the parish.

Deacon Tony Rettino’s team of alter servers assisted the clergy in the Mass set-up and ceremony. The lead choir headed by Vladimir Popean enchanted attendees with traditional songs of worship. The youth choir directed by Anna Graham sang upbeat songs, delighting attendees with their youthful voices.

Following the Mass, parishioners and attendees “broke bread” together, sharing meals provided by multiple local businesses. Members of the St-Luke’s youth group headed by Angela Milette and Nicole German volunteered at the event, entertaining youth with various activities.

Special attention was given to seniors and persons with specific needs in finding seating and assistance in getting to and from the event.

The live-stream of the event was recorded and is available for viewing on the St-Luke’s Parish webpage. n

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DDO Mental Health Town Hall held by youth council

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , , ,

By Chelsey St-Pierre
The Suburban

The Robert-Baldwin Youth Council supported by the MNA for Robert-Baldwin, Brigitte Garceau held a lengthy Town Hall meeting on the future of education and issues of mental health amongst youth at the Dollard-des-Ormeaux civic centre last Saturday. Special guests were Saint-Laurent MNA Marwah Rizqy and PCSM case worker and sexologist Carine Dahab. Dahab led attendees in a conversational presentation on general mental health issues affecting young people within the framework of educational institutions. “The aim is to work towards positive and inclusive education,” Dahab said.

An array of issues including the effects of conjugal violence on youth, inclusive education on sexuality affecting the LGBTQ community and persons with physical or mental challenges, young victims of sexual abuse and education on informed consent were discussed. Amongst the dozens of attendees were public officials including Pierrefonds-Roxboro mayor Jim Beis and Pointe-Claire mayor Tim Thomas.

Several organizations linked to youth in the West Island Community participated in the discussion including AJOI, Punjabi health and education organization, Community Perspective on Mental Health organization (PCSM), West Island Women’s centre, West Island Mission represented by executive director Suzanne Scarrow and Table de Quartier Ouest de L’Ile (TQSOI).

“What is interesting about today is that everybody was touched in some way about the issues being discussed. When discussing education or mental health — we all relate in some shape or form. We need to reflect on these issues in order to make things better for citizens and youth. This was a thought provoking discussion,” Garceau told The Suburban. Rizqy drove home the point of the historically high drop-out rate for boys as opposed to girls. It’s an issue that has to be addressed and solved, she said, as it is a major factor in young people’s mental health and chances for success.

“We have a long way to go and these discussions stimulate the thought process for plans to make positive changes,” PCSM clinical director Emmanuelle Morin said to The Suburban. n

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Robert-Baldwin MNA says “youth protection system protects itself, not children’s rights”

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , , ,

By Chelsey St-Pierre
The Suburban

Brigitte Garceau, Liberal MNA for Robert-Baldwin and official opposition critic for youth protection, says the sense of urgency to repair the broad array of youth protection system failures by Minister Lionel Carmant and Deputy Minister and National Director of Youth Protection Catherine Lemay is virtually non-existent.

Garceau’s view is shared by journalist and author of two books on youth protection, Nancy Audet, who recently additionally denounced the fact that 20% of the establishments that house children under youth protection in the province are dilapidated. “Nobody should be living in establishments like Mont St-Antoine which are totally uninhabitable, and it is also reprehensible that any establishment have isolation cells as was recently discovered at the Cartier facility in Laval,”Garceau said.

Garceau has hammered home the fundamental issue of mothers losing custody of their children to violent fathers due to inadequate training of social workers in conjugal violence cases where social workers mistakenly and unilaterally accuse mothers of parental alienation. She has asked Minister Lionel Carmant to launch an investigation. “There was a motion that the government did not support. It is obvious that this issue is not a priority to the Minister nor to the government.”

In 2016, nearly 52% of reports to the Department of Youth Protection concerned children exposed to conjugal violence. Following the Laurent Commission report, Regine Laurent stated to media that parental alienation findings by unqualified social workers and other matters related to conjugal violence was the subject, by far, that generated the greatest number of calls and emails to the Commission.

Garceau told The Suburban that,”I don’t understand the logic of maintaining a dysfunctional ‘status quo’. The efforts are placed on protecting the system instead of protecting the rights of the children. One of the main recommendation’s of The Laurent Commission was the creation of an independent Commissioner for the Welfare and Rights of Children. The government in its proposed Bill 37 has failed to integrate all of those powers and responsibilities recommended into the position of the Commissioner. This call for change is fundamental and necessary if we are to reform the system so that it is fully accountable. It is imperative that a commissioner has the ability to investigate and to intervene with watchdog powers. The DPJ must be under supervision and held accountable and exercise its duties with full transparency.”

Almost three years after she was appointed, Lemay was quoted defending youth protection and her mandate saying, “The attacks on youth protection certainly affect me. It is an essential sector for our society. When things are bad, I tell myself that I am in the right place to make changes.”

Garceau insists that it is high time to see some concrete action, investigation and reform. n

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Robert-Baldwin MNA demands an investigation of DPJ cases

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , , ,

By Chelsey St-Pierre

Concerned by recent disturbing revelations about mothers who are victims of conjugal violence and who have lost custody of their children amid accusations of parental alienation, Brigitte Garceau, Liberal MNA for Robert-Baldwin and official opposition spokesperson for youth protection, presented a motion to the National Assembly, calling for an investigation into these cases. The motion was supported by the entire opposition including the Liberals, QS, the PQ and the independent MNA for Vaudreuil.

Garceau demanded that Lionel Carmant, the Minister responsible for Social Services, launch an investigation into reported cases where children were entrusted to violent fathers under the pretext that the mothers were initiating parental alienation, a concept poorly understood by stakeholders of the Director of Youth Protection (DPJ), due to lack of adequate training.

Studies have shown that a child’s risk of abuse increases after a perpetrator of intimate partner violence separates from a domestic partner, even when the perpetrator has not previously directly abused the child.

Garceau says that Minister Carmant’s inaction on ensuring adequate training on conjugal violence for those employed by the DPJ system, is causing disastrous situations for too many mothers who are victims of conjugal violence.

“Mothers are completely broken and torn by the current situation. The lack of training of DPJ workers on conjugal violence, which includes parental alienation and coercive control, is one of the significant problems at the heart of the issues. Despite this, Minister Carmant still refuses to impose a mandatory four-day training, which would allow them to better understand the issue and to make proper evaluations where conjugal violence is at play,” Garceau stated. n

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