Youth Protection Act and Youth Criminal Justice Act 

VIDEO: A brief overview of Youth Protection in Eeyou Istchee ᐄᔨᔨᐅᔨᒧᐎᓐ | IIYIYIUYIMUWIN

YPA

The Youth Protection Act (YPA), adopted in 1979, governs the child welfare system in Quebec. This law defines the range of situations that can be so harmful to a child’s security or development that intervention is needed.

Read more about Québec’s Youth Protection Act

YCJA

The Youth Criminal Justice Act, or YCJA, is the federal law that governs Canada’s youth justice system. It applies to Canadian youth aged 12 to 17 who get into trouble with the law. The YCJA came into force in 2003 and was amended in 2012 to strengthen its handling of violent and repeat young offenders.

Read more about Canada’s Youth Criminal Justice Act

How does youth protection work currently?

Youth Protection is a legal system governed by Québec’s Youth Protection Act. The purpose of this law is:

• To protect children whose security or development is in danger or could be in danger;
• To put an end to situations in which the security or development of the child is in danger and to prevent these
  situations from happening again.

The Youth Protection Act also sets out provisions specific to Indigenous people, taking into account historical,
social and cultural factors that are specific to them. With respect to Indigenous people, the law aims to foster:

• A holistic (or “all-around”) approach;
• Cultural continuity;
• The responsibility of each community in respect of its children and families;
• The priority intervention of health and social services providers to prevent the situation of an Indigenous child
  from being taken in charge by the director;
• The relationships of the child with multiple persons who are important to them.

Read more about how the youth protection works