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Duplessis Orphans Get Full Apology and $1,000 A scandal on top of a scandal. Lucien Bouchard issued an apology to the Duplessis orphans yesterday, ending their long campaign for an official declaration of culpability. Even as the Quebec premier delivered the apology, however, he offended orphans' groups by announcing a $3-million aid fund that the orphans say amounts to only $1,000 per orphan. “That's $1,000 a person for children who were legally incarcerated, falsely diagnosed, raped,” said Bruno Roy, the head of the Committee of Institutionalized Duplessis Orphans. “It’s a scandal on top of a scandal, it’s a humiliation on top of another humiliation.” The Duplessis orphans, mostly children of unmarried parents, were left in the care of orphanages and schools run by Catholic religious orders in the 1930s, ’40s, and ’50s. Named for Maurice Duplessis, Quebec's premier in that era, the orphans claim the provincial government and the church colluded to transfer children from orphanages into psychiatric hospitals, to get a bigger federal government subsidy. They allege many were beaten, molested, given electroshocks, and lobotomized. While making his apology, Mr. Bouchard also saluted the devotion of Roman Catholic orders which ran the institutions at the time. “The past can never be undone,” he told the National Assembly. “That era may have had its share of misery and mistakes, but it also saw many examples of great devotion.” “Quebecers have been troubled by the revelations of difficulties and injustices lived by those who identify themselves as the Duplessis orphans. Today, as the regular business of the new legislature opens, in the name of Quebec and its government, I express to them our most sincere apologies and address to them this declaration.” The government will also award $300,000 over three years to Roy’s Committee of Duplessis Orphans, which has been fighting for seven years to get recognition for the damage. As well, the Quebec attorney-general continues to examine individual cases, and will lay criminal charges where there is sufficient evidence. Officials of the Roman Catholic Church had little comment on the premier's apology. The Archbishop of Montreal, Jean-Claude Cardinal Turcotte, recently denied the widespread abuse claimed by orphans occurred, and said the orphans do not deserve an apology from the church. Brian McDonough, of the Social Action office of the Archdiocese of Montreal, said one should “be careful” in concluding that Mr. Bouchard recognized that many orphans were abused. “It’s important to note that [the premier] makes it clear that he recognizes that the religious communities inherited a very heavy social burden, and showed a great deal of devotion in working with very limited means,” he said. “And while he does recognize that there may have been particularly difficult situations, or unacceptable situations, it’s important to keep in mind that [the premier] has chosen not to seek to impose blame on someone.” [ARTICLES] |