I am extremely proud of the Premier for acknowledging in public her own experiences in today’s Vancouver Sun op-ed. This is difficult and personal and she has found her voice now to speak out. It tells me that, even for somebody in high office, there is a pressure to keep quiet, forget or frankly pretend that all is fine when it is not.
During the course of my nearly 10 years as Representative for Children and Youth in British Columbia and, in fact, throughout my career, I have had the privilege of getting to know hundreds of youth in care. These young people are diverse and talented individuals of all ages, backgrounds and cultures and, time and again, I’ve been inspired by their strength, adaptability and creativity under less than ideal conditions.
Representative for Children and Youth Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond has reviewed today’s Ministry of Children and Family Development (MCFD) Information Bulletin regarding the establishment of an advisory committee to assist with the ministry’s multi-year planning. The Information Bulletin does not properly reflect the nature of discussions between MFCD and the Representative’s Office with respect to this group.
In celebration of Social Work Week, we want to share our thanks and appreciation for all that social workers do to improve the lives of vulnerable children, youth and families in British Columbia.
Today’s landmark ruling by the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal, formally recognizing that federal provision of First Nations child and family services on-reserve across Canada is discriminatory, is a welcome and important step toward equality for Aboriginal children with their non-Aboriginal peers, said Representative Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond.
Representative Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond will address the human rights of Indigenous children as part of the University of British Columbia's Janusz Korczak Lecture Series How to Love a Child that continues this week.
The series honours the memory and teachings of Poland’s Dr. Janusz Korczak, an early advocate for children’s rights, including their right for human dignity and respect, and whose ideas remain highly regarded today. The United Nations Convention of the Rights of the Child is informed and inspired by Korczak’s theories.
Dec. 14, 2015
By Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond
B.C. Representative for Children and Youth
Today the provincial government released a document, Part 1 of “Decision Time, a Review of Child Policy, Practice and Legislation”, written by Bob Plecas.
I was pleased to see that Mr. Plecas’s document endorses recommendations that my Office has made continually in recent years – including those calling for more funding and adequate staffing for MCFD.
Canada's National Child Day – marked on Nov. 20 each year – commemorates the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Child (UNCRC) and gives us the opportunity to step back and take a look at the state of children and youth in our country and to ask whether our laws and policies reflect the intent of the UNCRC.
On National Child Day (November 20, 2015), the members of the Canadian Council of Child and Youth Advocates (CCCYA) repeat their call to the federal government and provincial and territorial governments to come together and address the dire situation of Indigenous child welfare in Canada.
A letter from the Canadian Council of Child and Youth Advocates to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau asking him to work with his federal and provincial/territorial colleagues to address the dire situation of Indigenous child welfare in Canada.
