The Charter of the French language and its regulations govern the consultation of English-language content.
Ms. Caron has worked in the health and social services field for over 30 years as an intervenor, a middle manager at the Pavillon du Parc and as a senior executive at the CSSS de Gatineau. Through her knowledge and experience acquired as local service quality commissioner, she aims to offer efficient and high-quality services.
Ms. Caron holds a master’s degree in public administration from the ENAP, as well as a bachelor’s degree in kinanthropology and psychology from the University of Ottawa. Ms. Caron is a person of integrity who is passionate about public administration; she looks forward to lending her expertise to the Ombudsman de Gatineau, an apolitical and independent entity. She assumed the role of acting ombudsman in 2018. In June 2019 and as a result of a staffing process, she was appointed ombudsman for a three-year term that may be renewed once. Ms. Caron reports to the Municipal Council and is independent of the administration.
Vous êtes passionné par la défense des droits des citoyens et souhaitez contribuer à améliorer les services municipaux? Le poste d’adjoint à l’Ombudsman de Gatineau pourrait être votre prochaine grande opportunité!
Through socially responsible leadership, the ombudsman aspires to carry out the following:
In exercising his or her duties, the ombudsman adopts and promotes values of justice, integrity, respect, responsibility and transparency.
This value is the cornerstone of an ombudsman’s function. Natural justice aims to make sure that the rights, privileges and interests of a person are respected during their interactions with the municipal administration. The value of natural justice refers to the following principles of procedural fairness: impartiality and the right to be heard[1][2].
In addition to making sure the applicable standards, regulations and legislation are implemented accordingly, we also take into account the way in which citizens have been treated, the quality of the information they received, as well as the management of expectations related to the specifics of the citizens’ file and reasonableness of the decision rendered. Equality does not guarantee equity!
“A decision has a better chance of being fair if the decision-making process is reasonable and equitable.”
[1] Guide pratique sur l’équité décisionnelle, Ombudsman de Montréal, 2018.
Integrity is a moral value that guides actions, behaviours and decision-making. Integrity is based on honesty, sincerity and the coherence between what is said and the actions that are taken. Someone who has integrity acts according to a value system and holds oneself accountable.
Integrity allows us to be loyal to who we truly are without going against our principles. It is to be fully compliant with our personal and professional commitments. Every day, we act according to our system of values: « Les babines suivent les bottines » (Talk the talk and walk the walk)!
“ Integrity leads to credibility ” – Wayne Cheng
Respect is a moral value that allows us to have due regard and consideration for the people with whom we interact.
We act courteously, with kindness and without judgement of values. We are open to differences. We acknowledge and protect a person’s right to dignity and integrity.
“ Respect is founded on recognizing the rights of individuals and of society.[1] ”
[1] https://lesdefinitions.fr/respect
The value of moral responsibility is defined by one’s ability to assume their role, to take a stand, to justify their decisions and to be held accountable for their own actions.
We are accountable for the responsibilities listed in the resolution No. CM-2019-100.
In exercising his or her duties, the ombudsman is responsible for processing complaints and for following-up on recommendations. It is the ombudsman’s duty to act with administrative responsibility, which can imply damage control.
Transparency is one’s ability to provide quality comprehensive information to individuals who use a service. A person who is transparent can present the facts without manipulating the information.
We value information that is reliable, relevant, accurate and easy to understand. As we act with transparency, we inform the people involved of the actions and decisions taken.
Transparency helps build a relationship of trust with others.
The ombudsman is committed to promote and respect the highest standards of independence, impartiality, equity, confidentiality, accessibility and credibility. These principles represent the attributes and characteristics that are inherently related to the ombudsman’s mandate.
Independence relates to the processing of files without fear of displeasing others and without the desire to please any type of administrative, political, economical, social or media-related power or public opinion. Independence refers to moral responsibility. The ombudsman reports to the Municipal Council and is independent of the municipal administration.
Impartiality relates to the genuine and apparent absence of prejudice and of preconceived notion. The ombudsman carries out its mission without fear, favoritism and prejudice. Objective and subjective impartiality is essential to treat others fairly and equitably.
Equity relates to treating others fairly and allows us to give to others what is owed to them in the context of natural justice. We refer to this principle in cases where the strict enforcement of the legal rules may cause unfair consequences to a person or group of persons.
“ Equity allows us to apply the generality of the law to the specific elements of concrete situations. In other words, we aim to establish legislative equality while taking into account the inequalities 2. ”
Complaint files are confidential and cannot be shared with the administration or with the requester. All complaint files have a clause that exempts them from Access to Information Act. The ombudsman is granted immunity from appearing before a court.
The ombudsman builds credibility by acting with integrity, transparency and accountability. The ombudsman is professional, develops his or her skills, and builds on the best practices in order to be respected by his or her peers, the people who might use his or her services, the members of the administration and of the Municipal Council. Credibility inspires confidence.
In order for a service to be truly accessible, it must be free and made accessible. All of our services are free, and there are many ways in which people can access them, get information and file a complaint. One may contact the Ombudsman de Gatineau by phone, by email, through an online form located on our website, by mail, and even in person. The Ombudsman de Gatineau is accessible to persons with reduced mobility. The requester can ask to meet with the ombudsman at the requester’s place of residence or at a place of their choosing. We also offer a service to help you file your complaint. In order to make our services accessible, we must also promote them.