8 - Wednesday, February 12, 1986: ~: North ’Shtre: News

Doug Collins

e get this straight

BIG SISTER Grace McCarthy over in Victoria isn’t a bad
dame. The trouble with her is that she’s controlled by her
bureaucrats, like a Jot of other politicians. Write a com- |
plaint to her, for instance, and it will be the very people
responsible for what you are bitching about who will draft

the aiswer.

We're talking about the
Ministry of Human - Resources

§ again, where some upstart social
} worker who may barely be out of

school has the power to decide
whether you're fit to look after

# your own kids. And can snatch

them away from you.
The situation stinks, and I can
say that because I’ve been looking

| into some of these cases. Jack
| Davis the MLA thinks there's

something rotten in the state of

‘British Columbia, too, and is try-

| ing to do something about it.

It’s not possible to report on in- -

dividual cases in great detail. For.
one thing, MHR won't say

_anything ‘because of .the -‘‘con-
_fidentiality'!:factor. Which would
be reasonable if the system were -
reasonable.” Things being what .

1 they are, though, it provides the

{don't need. protecting from their

state with a cloak for its actions.
I’m not saying that a lot of kids

} parents. But a fot of parents need

‘protecting from: their kids, too.

How would you like It if.-- for

example’ --your: chiid :was. taken

away...simply because you” had

-spanked. her. when she: damned:

[well deserved it? And how would:

you like it if -- at great cost -- you

“A won™ against MHR.° in family.
“court, ‘only: to have the ministry:

f move: in again ‘later anyway on

‘| your; little liar’s. Say-so? It has.

happened.

Children learn the ropes fast,.- i
“and once they hdve their parents
.on.the run many of them relish the.
“power. One North Shore parent

tells. me that at one point in his

“struggle to control his: adopted

i daughter, she was told to change

out of her party dress before go-
-ing out to play. She wouldn’t.

When he and his wife insisted,

| the girl called Helpline with some

“trumped-up tale, Helpline being
the “system in which children are

invited to denounce their parents.

“So. = she went in MHR’s care .

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We also. paint ve ms
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and thought it a great lark. The
same girl later accused the father®
of sexual abuse. Fortunately for’
him, a child psychiatrist and a |
psychologist had already found
her to be a pathological liar. -
Later,” in MHR_ custody, | she-
claimed‘ she’ was “being ‘sexually
abused there. ;

What about all those sexual ;
abuse cases that have been in the
news recently, you may ask?-
Don’t they prove that effective
Measures are necessary?

Yes. But the difference between °§
accused teachers and parents
whose children are taken away

from them is that the teachers get §

due’ process while parents don’t. §
Not-in the beginning, anyway.
Tiiey are in the hands of the state:
and are assumed to be guilty,..-,
If the case goes“to court, the |
cards are stacked against the
parent, not because the courts are. |
bad but; because MHR has enor-: j
mous resources. Parents also
to contend with hearsay evid c
--' what a: social worker. ‘says a

* child has snid.

. Furthermore, parental:

abuse’? canbe of the emoti
Sort, not just the physical. So'your
-. kid can be‘taken away from you i :
you: shouted at him too much; -By
‘the time you get him back’-- if you.
“get him back -- a lot of harm can

be done.’

s. Fhere are 1, 100 social ‘Workers |
in Big: Sister. Grace. McCarthy's”
Army, plus: all: the: bucks : and -
lawyers in. the world. And .
Family and Child Services ‘Act:
under which atrocities ‘can take:
place is a blank cheque for MHR
bureaucrats. . Cs

To loud cheers: from organized
social workers'(you bet!) McCa

thy has rejected: the ‘idea: of /a

public inquiry. But that is the only
way to sort things out. :
If-an inquiry ever takes pla

there’lt be a big. crowd ¢ on:

Call Mike Ruggles

(OLE:

tape mcicosinett

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