The Association des centres jeunesse is pleased to have the opportunity to make recommendations to the committee concerning Bill C-10.
The Association des centres jeunesse comprises 16 youth centres in Quebec. The work the youth centres do is governed by the Youth Criminal Justice Act and the Youth Protection Act throughout Quebec. At present, this means they provide psychosocial or rehabilitation services to 112,000 children, in relation to either youth protection or young offenders. The youth centres are parapublic entities under the jurisdiction of the Quebec ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux and are funded by that department.
I would like to remind you of a particular feature of the Quebec situation. In Quebec, the directors of youth protection, who are responsible for protecting children, are also designated to act as provincial director within the meaning of the Youth Criminal Justice Act. About 13,000 people work in the youth centres, 900 of whom are dedicated to working with young offenders. This tells you how concerned we are with the administration of this act.