Achi news desk-
It has been five years since a seven-year-old girl was killed by her stepmother in Granby, after months of abuse, in the presence of her father who never intervened.
The case put Quebec’s youth protection system under the microscope. A damning report was supposed to bring about change, but little has changed since then.
The child will forever be remembered as the Granby girl. She died in her home after being suffocated while wrapped from head to toe in plastic cellophane that her stepmother had used to prevent the child from escaping.
Her father had just been granted statutory release from prison after serving two-thirds of his three-and-a-half-year sentence for forcible confinement. He will be allowed to serve the remainder of his sentence in the community under certain conditions as of May 7. His sentence ends on July 6, 2025.
The girl’s relatives are furious about his early release.
“This little girl is not among us, and she lost her life. And that’s the price the father paid. So it’s unfortunate. There’s a real reflection to be made regarding the sentences and it’s at the federal level that it needs to happen.” said Valerie Assulin, a lawyer who represented part of the girl’s family.
In the wake of the tragedy, the government ordered a commission headed by Regine Lauren to investigate why Youth Protection failed to raise a red flag about the child’s living conditions. The recommendations called for major changes in the system, including prevention, and better coordination between the various authorities.
But an expert committee says that three years after the report was published, little progress has been made.
“Well, we have some concerns because at this rate, I think we’re looking at another 20 years from now to make sure that after all our recommendations,” Martine Desjardins, chairwoman of the Lorraine Commission’s watchdog committee.
The promised changes, she says, have not yet included major topics, including chapters for natives and English speakers. “We’re not going to do anything about these episodes,” Desjardins said.
The provincial government insists that almost half of the recommendations have been accepted.
As for the stepmother who was found guilty of second degree murder in the killing of the young girl, she was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole 13 years ago.
