National Framework Agreement to Combat Elder Abuse

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“Let’s mobilize, because together, we’re stronger than abuse! “- Francine Charbonneau, Minister Responsible for Seniors and Anti-Bullying

QUÉBEC CITY, February 7 2018 – In order to better protect victims of elder abuse and provide them with assistance, the Government of Quebec, in partnership with four government agencies, is formalizing the establishment of a national framework agreement to combat elder abuse.

This new partnership will foster effective collaboration between all stakeholders to ensure the best possible intervention. The concerted intervention process established by this agreement is intended to ensure a continued and coordinated response to assist and protect victims of elder abuse, respect of their rights and self-determination, as well as define the roles and responsibilities of each of the partners.

The agreement was signed by Francine Charbonneau, Minister Responsible for Seniors and Anti-Bullying, Gaétan Barrette, Minister of Health and Social Services, Stéphanie Vallée, Minister of Justice, and Martin Coiteux, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Land Occupancy and Minister of Public Security, as well as Louis Morisset, President and CEO of the Autorité des marchés financiers, Annick Murphy, Director of Criminal and Penal Prosecutions, Camil Picard, Acting President of the Commission des droits de la personne et des droits de la jeunesse, and Normand Jutras, Public Curator of Quebec.

Quotes:

The signing of this agreement is a pivotal step in the fight against elder abuse, in order for seniors to live in their environment feeling confident and safe. Thanks to this national framework agreement, victims of elder abuse will be able to count on faster mobilization and coordination of all parties concerned. Our goal is to significantly reduce any form of abuse through better coordination of regional interventions and more effective sharing of information and expertise.

– Francine Charbonneau, Minister Responsible for Seniors and Anti-Bullying

This framework agreement is an addition to the existing measures for protecting seniors and persons in vulnerable circumstances under the Act respecting health and social services. All the partners involved in the agreement have contributed to advancing the fight against elder abuse in all its forms. From now on, we will be able to go further to protect Quebec seniors in our institutions.

– Gaétan Barrette, Minister of Health and Social Services

To better respond to the needs of our seniors, our government aims to facilitate the work of various parties in their efforts to counter elder abuse situations likely to constitute exploitation under the Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms, or criminal or penal offences. The signing of this agreement is a significant measure that will enable us to join forces to bolster the fight against elder abuse by providing seniors with the support and assistance they need.

– Stéphanie Vallée, Minister of Justice

Unfortunately, crimes against seniors are often perpetrated by persons they trust. Accordingly, the Ministère de la Sécurité publique will raise awareness in police departments to help them better identify potential abuse situations and adopt an appropriate intervention approach. The government is determined to act against this kind of abuse, and the national framework agreement signed today will enable us to join forces to achieve this end.

– Martin Coiteux, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Land Occupancy, Minister of Public Security and Minister responsible for the Montréal region

The DPCP’s intervention will be done in the respect and interest of elderly victims by acting rapidly and in a concerted and complementary manner with other agencies and ministries, with the goal of ensuring our elders’ safety.

– Annick Murphy, Director of Criminal and Penal Prosecutions

The process of concerted intervention will allow for improved collaboration to put an end to elder abuse situations likely to constitute exploitation under the Quebec Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms.

– Camil Picard, Acting President, Commission des droits de la personne et des droits de la jeunesse

In addition to conducting our various initiatives in the field of financial education, this agreement will enable us to communicate with other organizations in order to take action, especially in the case of financial abuses committed by persons over whom the l’Autorité des marchés financiers has authority.

– Louis Morisset, President and CEO of the Autorité des marchés financiers

This agreement will enable us to work together more efficiently to protect incapable persons, while respecting the balance between their protection and the preservation of their autonomy, the two pillars on which the Public Curator’s interventions are based.

– Normand Jutras, Public Curator of Quebec

Key Points:

The national framework agreement defines, in particular, the guiding principles supporting the establishment of a concerted intervention process in each of Quebec’s health regions. It will take into account regional realities as well as the skills and responsibilities of each party.
Interventions are intended for situations where seniors are victims of physical, psychological, sexual, financial and material abuse or of negligence likely to constitute a criminal or penal offence and which require cooperation between different workers.
These can be police officers, social workers, prosecutors with the Direction des poursuites criminelles et pénales and employees of the Commission des droits de la personne et des droits de la jeunesse, the Public Curator of Quebec and the Autorité des marchés financiers called to intervene. Resources from any other agency deemed useful may also be called upon to intervene.
The implementation of the concerted intervention process throughout Quebec will take place in three phases, according to the different regions.
Regional coordinators specialized in combatting elder abuse, in collaboration with the implicated regional bodies, will coordinate the implantation, application and monitoring of the intervention process in each region.
Note that in May 2014, a pilot project to establish a socio-legal agreement was deployed in the region of the Mauricie-Centre-du-Québec. Lasting two years, this pilot project served to improve the effectiveness of interventions with victims of elder abuse, facilitate actions to put an end to the abuse and take special measures with abusers.