Children's Advocate takes final shots at government
CBC - Mar 13, 2001
VICTORIA B.C.'s watchdog for children's rights is accusing the provincial government of undermining the needs of thousands of children and their families. In the final report of her six-year term, Child, Youth and Family Advocate Joyce Preston says leadership and staffing problems, combined with a lack of research and planning, have led to the situation. Preston says that, as a result, NDP government services for young people have been all talk and no action.
In her report "Children's Advocate report for 2000", she makes six major recommendations in her last report:
- More stable leadership
- Stable and experienced staff
- Needs-based budgeting
- Community-based services
- Early development fund
- And more services to the Aboriginal community.
Reaction
The Liberal children's critic says the report is a damning indictment of a decade of NDP governments. Linda Reid says the New Democrats have ignored Preston's recommendations for years. She accuses the NDP of putting megaprojects like fast ferries ahead of the needs of children. The B.C. Social Planning and Research Council agrees the NDP have not made children a priority, but notes that no Canadian government has done so. SPARC spokesperson Michael Goldberg says the next provincial government needs to start with stable leadership in the Children and Families Ministry and to be flexible on ministry finances.
