Applying for financial assistance for Duplessis orphans

Financial assistance is available for people commonly referred to as Duplessis Orphans. This is the National Reconciliation Program for Duplessis Orphans (PNROOD) Who Were Residents of Certain Institutions. 

A person is eligible for the program if they

• were an orphan or abandoned; 
• were admitted between January 1, 1935, and December 31, 1964, to one of the designated institutions;  
• did not receive financial assistance from PNROOD between 2001 and 2003; 
• were alive on the date the application for financial assistance was received. 

A person is also eligible for the program if they had undergone a psychological assessment rendering them unfit for adoption. This may be an assessment concluding that there was an intellectual handicap or intellectual delay. 

This assessment may have been made before or at the time of admission to one of the institutions. 

An amount of $15,000 is allocated in a single payment to those eligible for the program. 

This amount 

• is not taxable; 
• does not reduce the benefits of people receiving financial assistance from the Social Assistance Program or the Social Solidarity Program. 

The amount does not increase the contribution required for adults staying in any of the following types of accommodation: 

• a public or private institution under agreement; 
• an intermediate resource; 
• a family-type resource. 

The information on this page is presented in layman's terms. It summarizes the main provisions of the National Reconciliation Program for Duplessis Orphans Who Were Residents of Certain Institutions.

This page does not replace the official text of the Guide for Applicants (PDF 555 Kb).

To make an application, complete the Application for Financial Assistance form included at the end of the Guide for Applicants (PDF 555 Kb).  

You can request a printed copy of the Guide for Applicants by writing to the Secrétariat du programme (Program secretariat). You can find the contact information for the Secrétariat du programme in the Application for financial assistance section. 

You can ask for the decision to be reviewed if you disagree with it. This request must be made in writing within 30 days of the date indicated in the refusal letter.

The decision rendered following the review is final.