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Children dying while
social services

CHILDREN under the
tender mercies of the
Ministry of Social
Services are still dying.

According to a Province
story by Barbara McLinto

st 14+ kids have died
since the release of the Gove
Report fast November.

Judge Thomas Gove, vou
wilt recall, conducted a
Commission of Inguiry into
the death of young Matthew

Vaudreuil, ¢ hoy tragically
killed at the hands of his
mother, Verna Vaudreuil.

The Gove inquiry fol-
lowed some pretty impre
buck passing i
istry mandarins and then
Minister Joan Smallwood.

In the wake of the death
of Matthew, an attempted
cover-up was led by an NDP
patronage appointee who
altered an internal report to
deflect blame from minis
employees who failed
Matthew miserably,

The subsequent public
outcry led the government to

ge Gove to con-
duct’a review of how the ¢
was handled.

The inquiry aiso examined
the deaths of 19 other chil-
dren the ministry was
involved with between 1992
and 1995.

The commission’s report
was severely critical of the
ministry and its pplicies rela-
tive to child welfare.
Specitically, Smallwood’s pol-
icy of preserving the family
unit at all costs was trashed
in favor of the ideal of sate
and protection for the child.

Following the subsequent
and deserving demise o
Smallwood, the next minister
of the day, Joy McPhail,
ordered a transition team be
assembled, ostensibly to
reform the sy

Now we have learned that
precious lite has been done
and:14 more children in the
care of the ministry are now

time

dead, just in the past seven
months,

Whea questioned in the
legislature, the current minis-
ter, Dennis Streifel, could
not or would not answer the
opposition’s questions.

Instead of even showing a
modicum of concern, he
accused his tormentors of
plaving politics, somehow
failing to understand that the
deaths of children are not
only tragic, but outrageous
and should transcend poli-
tics.

He was pressed abour
whether the government
would have an independent
review of those deaths.

All he could do was mum-
ble pathetically about the
coroner’s invaivement in
some of the deaths.

Streifel went on to say in
the house, that al! the deaths
are being reviewed by the

He was then pressed to
determine if he would make
those findings public.

What followed was pure
NDP baftlegab about i
of privacy and the inability of
the government to breach
the Protection of P:

The practical r
ministry has failed utterly in
implementing the reeom-
mendations of the Gove
inquiry, ;

Streifef did say the min-
istry has nearly completed a
review of the 19 deaths
already examined by the

fiddiing

Gove inquiry.

Why, you may Ki is the
ministry re-investigating
these deaths?

1¢ only logical conclu-

stan ane can draw is because
the bureaue fo not wish
to accept the conclusions of
the commission.

This would also

Judge Gove
tions ina report in which he
des {the child welfare
stem as, “fundamentally
Wed.”
era fidddles while Rome
burns, so to speak.
irteen mere children
have died and and nothing is
' being done. That is ourra-
geous in the ex

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1055 Dunsmuir Street, Vancouver,
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chttp://www.forest.org»

FOREST
ALLIANCE

OF ARITISE COLUMBIA

The 7th Annual Festivai of
Art & Social Change

FIRST NATIONS EXHIBITION AUGUST 9-11

Come out and experience the spectacular displays of Northwest art and culture. Learn the
secrets of the ancient art at the Craft demonstrations of masks, poles, bowls and rattles
Saturday and Sunday. See the 27 foot Sea Going canoe, and take home a piece of history at the
native Craft sale featuring bone, beads and teather crafts, sterling silver jewelry, wood carvings,

nae, 11
11am-10pm Shine or Rain!

PiainStage with 20 actsil:

cient ae | prints, pottery, and herbs and medicines. Come out and experience the spirit of the West Cost.

Musicians from i
ie || Ry
R

(| ' Tickets on-site by donation 65-800

@c4 Festival info ph: 254.8782
To volunteer ph: 254. 7057

Exchange. Bicycle routes: 324, 9303
check out our Festival webpages.
byte.bc. ca itv

ra