Send this page to someone via email The province’s junior health minister has ordered a report into the case of a 7-year-old girl whose death raised questions about whether Quebec’s youth protection system failed to help her. Lionel Carmant says he’s asked the regional health authority to investigate the actions of youth protection services and report back to him. It’s one of three investigations into the girl’s death: the province’s human and youth rights commission will conduct a separate probe, and a criminal investigation is being led by Quebec provincial police. Carmant said youth protection officials had been aware of the girl’s case from a very young age, and their last interaction with the child was last month. Story continues below advertisement WATCH: Demand for youth protection services at an all-time high He says information so far clearly shows there were problems with the management of the girl’s case, but he says the reports will shed further light on what happened. The young girl was found at a home shortly before noon on Monday in Granby, Que., about 80 kilometres east of Montreal. She died one day later. READ MORE: Majority of families denied Quebec supplement for children with exceptional needs Two adults — identified by people close to the family as the girl’s father and his partner — were both charged with unlawful confinement while the partner was also charged with aggravated assault. A spokesman for the prosecutor’s office said the case returns to a Granby courtroom on Thursday but couldn’t say if new charges would come during the hearing. Advertisement<doc-sep>WARNING: Some readers may find the details in this story disturbing. Quebec officials have ordered a public inquiry into the death of a seven-year-old girl who was allegedly beaten to death in her home, despite youth protection services being aware of the girl’s situation. During a news conference Thursday, Public Security Minister Genevieve Guilbault announced the coroner would hold a public inquest into the young girl’s death, including recommendations to avoid similar cases. The director of the regional Youth Protection Services has also been suspended with pay at the request of Quebec Premier Francois Legault, who called the case “revolting” while speaking to reporters. "It's troubling, revolting that people knew (about the girl's situation), including the youth protection office," Legault said during the news conference. "I asked for a public inquiry to be 100 per cent transparent, because all of Quebec wants to know what happened to this little girl and what we could have done to avoid it." Local police found the child in critical condition on Monday after she had been tied to a bed and allegedly beaten in the home she shared with her father, stepmother, and brother in Granby, Que. She was rushed to hospital in Granby and transferred to a hospital in Sherbrooke where she died on Tuesday. The girl’s father and stepmother were arrested on Monday. The next day, the father was charged with confinement and the stepmother was charged with confinement and aggravated assault. The charges may be upgraded in light of the child’s death. The girl’s name is subject to a publication ban because she was a minor. Quebec’s junior health minister Lionel Carment said youth protection officials had been aware of the girl’s situation in the home for several months and they had last intervened in her case in April. Liberal MNA Helene David, the official opposition for social services, said authorities knew the child had been recently taken out of school. She said the girl’s grandmother had attempted to gain custody of the child because she didn’t think her son was fit to care for the girl. The public inquest ordered Thursday is one of several into the girl’s death, including an investigation announced by the regional health authority in Quebec's Eastern Townships, the province's human and youth rights commission and the criminal probe led by Quebec provincial police. Officials are also considering a wider investigation to explore lengthy wait times for youth protection services in the province. “I think the problem is all over Quebec,” Carment said Wednesday. Alain Trudel, the director of youth protection services for the Eastern Townships region, asked people not to jump to conclusions about the case during a press conference on Wednesday. He said he was unable to disclose whether his office was involved in the case, but he said the law is clear that removing a child from a home is a final step and it has to be based on facts instead of rumours. The girl’s father and stepmother appeared in court Thursday. None of the allegations in this case has been proven in court. The girl’s biological mother, who did not have custody of the child, alleges the child acted out due to her home environment by screaming and defecating on the floor. “They wouldn’t let her have contact with anyone from my family that she knew since birth. They even tried to prevent me from seeing her,” the mother told CTV News. “We warned the youth department countless times there were problems. We complained to police, we did everything we could,” said the mother. “I don’t know why no one took her out of there. They told us it was better than jumping around from one foster home to another.”<doc-sep>A 7-year-old girl has died in hospital, a day after she was found in critical condition at a home in Granby, Que., by local police. Quebec provincial police are now handling the investigation. Police have not released the girl's cause of death. Two people were arrested Tuesday morning, before the girl died. They appeared in court that afternoon. A 35-year-old woman was charged with aggravated assault endangering a life and forcible confinement. A 30-year-old-man was charged with forcible confinement. Both are expected back in court Thursday and could face more serious charges now that the girl has died. Stuffed animals and flowers have been left outside the home where the girl lived. (Brigitte Marcoux/Radio-Canada) Radio-Canada learned that the girl attended a Granby elementary school until she was recently pulled out to be home-schooled. The local French school board, Commission scolaire du Val-des-Cerfs, deployed crisis teams to the school the girl attended. "The team includes psychologists and psycho-educators. They're there in the field to ensure an organization of services to support students and teachers," said Alexandra Langlois, a school board spokesperson.<doc-sep>Quebec's minister in charge of youth protection has asked for an investigation into the death of a seven-year-old girl in Granby by the local health authority and the province's Human Rights Commission. Lionel Carmant said the child had a file with the province's youth protection system (DPJ) and that the last time it intervened in her case was in April. Earlier in the day, Carmant said he's outraged by the circumstances surrounding her death. "We are going to make every effort to make sure this doesn't happen again," he said. Carmant said there are "clearly" cracks in the province's youth protection system. He said he wants to look into whether waiting lists at the agency that serves the area played a role in what he called a tragic story. Local police found the girl in critical condition at a home in Granby on Monday. She was taken to hospital, where she was in a coma until she died on Tuesday. Quebec provincial police have taken over the criminal investigation into the girl's death. Her father, 30, has been charged with forcible confinement, and her stepmother, 35, has been charged with forcible confinement and aggravated assault. They are expected back in court Thursday and may face more charges now that the girl has died. CBC News is not naming the two suspects, nor the seven-year-old victim, for legal reasons. Grandmother calls for public inquiry The girl's grandmother — who CBC is not naming either to protect the girl's identity — says she fought for custody of the victim for years. A Radio-Canada reporter speaks with the grandmother of the seven-year-old girl who died in Granby. CBC is not naming the grandmother to protect the girl's identity. (Radio-Canada) "We fought tooth and nail, hours upon hours, we built up a file," she said in an interview with Radio-Canada. "It's been years — since 2015 — that we've been fighting against the DPJ to get her out of there." The woman says the DPJ told her they wouldn't remove the girl from her father's house because she was already under too much stress, and that it would be an extra strain on her. Following the girl's death, she wants the government to launch a public inquiry into the entire youth protection system in Quebec. "It's more than time for a clean-up at the DPJ. There can be no more cases like this; it can't happen again," she said. "I hope she didn't die for nothing." Police sources told Radio-Canada the girl had knocked on a neighbour's door overnight Sunday before she was found in critical condition by police Monday at around noon. Don't jump to conclusions, agency says Alain Trudel, the director of youth protection for the Eastern Townships, which covers Granby, said he is not free to say whether his agency is involved in the case. The agency's privacy policy prohibits it from divulging any details about individual cases. There are about 400 cases in the region waiting to be evaluated, he said — a number that should be no more than 40 to 50. The situation is the same across Quebec, Trudel said. However, he cautioned against pointing to the length of the waiting list or the lack of resources for youth protection workers as possible explanations for the girl's death. He said removing a child from the family home is a last resort and happens only in circumstances where the child faces a real and imminent danger. Stuffed animals and flowers have been left outside the home where the girl lived in Granby, Que. (Brigitte Marcoux/Radio-Canada) The pros of removing the child from the home have to be weighed against the impact it may have on that child, he explained. Trudel said he would co-operate with an inquest if one is called. Neighbours are dropping off flowers and stuffed animals outside the home where the girl lived. Radio-Canada learned that the girl attended a Granby elementary school until she was recently pulled out to be home-schooled.<doc-sep>
Send this page to someone via email It’s “revolting” that authorities failed to prevent the death a seven-year-old girl who had a long history with the province’s youth protection system, Premier François Legault said Thursday as the Quebec government ordered a public inquiry into her death. Legault said he asked for the coroner’s inquest and also asked that the head of the regional youth protection office be suspended. “It’s troubling, revolting that people knew (about the girl’s situation), including the youth protection office,” Legault said in Quebec City. “I asked for a public inquiry to be 100 per cent transparent, because all of Quebec wants to know what happened to this little girl and what we could have done to avoid it.” READ MORE: Quebec government seeks answers from youth protection after 7-year-old girl dies Local police found the girl shortly before noon Monday at a home in Granby, Que., about 80 kilometres east of Montreal. She died a day later in hospital. Story continues below advertisement Two adults — identified by people close to the family as the girl’s father, 30, and his partner, 35 — appeared in court on Thursday. They both face charges of unlawful confinement, and the woman has been charged with aggravated assault. Both will remain detained at least until their next court appearance on May 23. Police and prosecutors are still gathering and analyzing evidence, and more charges could be added at a later date, according to Jean-Pascal Boucher, spokesman for the Crown prosecutor’s office. A publication ban prohibits identification of the accused and the victim. News of the girl’s death prompted swift reaction from the public and Quebec’s political class, who immediately demanded to know how the girl was seemingly failed by a system designed to protect her. WATCH: Demand for youth protection services at an all-time high Public Security Minister Geneviève Guilbault said the public inquiry led by the coroner’s office will determine the causes and circumstances of the death and make recommendations to avoid a similar tragedy. Story continues below advertisement The investigation ordered Thursday is one of several into the death, added to those previously announced by the regional health authority in Quebec’s Eastern Townships, the province’s human and youth rights commission and the criminal probe led by Quebec provincial police. Guilbault said the coroner’s inquest differs from the others because of its public nature and its ability to issue broader recommendations. “It’s held in a courtroom, and the public, interested parties, family members and media representatives will be able to go to this public inquiry to hear the testimony of various people, witnesses and stakeholders who will come give their point of view or testify on the circumstances of this tragic death,” she said. READ MORE: 7-year-old girl dies after being found in critical condition in Granby home, SQ arrests 2 suspects However, Guilbault said the hearings would not begin until after the conclusion of any criminal proceedings, in order to avoid interfering with the legal process. Speaking alongside Guilbault, Quebec junior health minister Lionel Carmant announced that the head of the regional youth protection office had been removed from his functions. Carmant had previously confirmed the girl was known to youth protection workers from a very young age and that their last interaction with the child was just last month. Story continues below advertisement “A child died under his responsibility,” Carmant said of his decision to suspend Alain Trudel, head of the youth protection office in the Eastern Townships region. “He’s accountable, and this is a sign of his accountability.” Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "He's accountable, and this is a sign of his accountability." On Wednesday, the executive director of a non-profit organization helping Quebec families said she and family members had tried sounding the alarm about the girl’s case, but their concerns were ignored. Carmant said there would also be a top-to-bottom review of the youth protection system, including how cases are flagged, evaluated and handled by authorities.