Duplessis Orphans

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The Duplessis Orphans (French: les Orphelins de Duplessis) were a population of Canadian children misdiagnosed as mentally ill by the provincial government of Quebec and confined to psychiatric institutions in the 1940s and 1950s. Many of these children were deliberately miscertified in order to acquire additional subsidies from the federal government. They are named for Maurice Duplessis, who served as Premier of Quebec for five non-consecutive terms between 1936 and 1959. The controversies associated with Duplessis, and particularly the corruption and abuse concerning the Duplessis Orphans, have led to the popular historic conception of his term as Premier as La Grande Noirceur (French for 'The Great Darkness') by its critics. The Duplessis Orphans have accused both the government of Quebec and the Catholic Church of wrongdoing. The Church has denied involvement in the scandal, and disputes the claims of those seeking financial compensation for harm done. It is believed to be the largest case of child abuse in Canadian history outside of the Canadian Indian residential school system.