Laurent Commission Report Card: Only Half of Child Protection Goals Met
Five-year review shows just 29 of 65 recommendations from landmark 2021 commission have been implemented or largely realized.
Five years after the Laurent Commission released its landmark report on children's rights and youth protection, the Quebec government released a progress report Tuesday. The results are sobering: only 29 of the 65 recommendations have been implemented or largely implemented.
The Special Commission on Children's Rights and Youth Protection (CSDEPJ), chaired by Régine Laurent, issued its final report in 2021 following a comprehensive review of the province's systems for protecting vulnerable young people. The recommendations spanned everything from frontline worker training to legal reforms to funding for child welfare services. Five years later, Minister Lionel Carmant and national director of youth protection Lesley Hill presented the progress summary in Montreal.
The gap between recommendations and implementation is significant. The commission identified systemic failures that put children at risk; the slow adoption of reforms means those vulnerabilities persist. For families in Montreal and across Quebec relying on youth protection services—whether foster care, counselling, or emergency intervention—the delay means real consequences. The government has promised to accelerate implementation, but the track record so far suggests the overhaul Quebecers expected in 2021 is still years away.