VICTORIA, B.C. – Following another damning report from the Representative for Children and Youth (RCY) BC Green Leader Sonia Furstenau is calling for concrete action to be taken to ensure no more children die due to failure by the Ministry of Children and Family Development (MCFD).
“The province has proven once again to be the worst guardian of our most vulnerable children,” said Furstenau. “The BC NDP government has repeatedly responded to horrifying reports about the failures of MCFD with predictable bureaucratic language and no commitment to the transformative changes that have been recommended by RCY reports for years. Where is the acknowledgement of the harm caused by the status quo of government policy?
“Decades of reports exposing systemic violence and abuse, worsened by mismanagement under both the BC Liberals (BC United) and the BC NDP, require immediate action. Seven years into a government mandate we finally have an acknowledgement of a need for a ‘fundamental shift.’ However we have seen time and time again that this government will say the right words and fail to deliver any results.”
Despite over 100 reports from RCY since 2006, the same devastating outcomes persist. With a combined budget of $2.133 billion for 2024/25, both MCFD and RCY have failed to address key issues effectively.
The BC Greens are calling for resources to be redirected to meet children and families’ basic needs and provide community-based supports to end intergenerational trauma and poverty cycles.
“‘Developing plans, ‘examining systems,’ and ‘exploring reconfiguration’ are too little, too late. We cannot trust this government with our children’s welfare when they fail to grasp the problem’s magnitude,” continued Furstenau.
“This government has failed to invest in the things that will truly make a difference in people’s lives: genuine affordable housing, food security, trauma-informed and Indigenous-led community supports, mental health care, a functioning primary care system, and a public education system that is not starving for resources.”
Hundreds of children are reported missing from the B.C. child welfare system, a concerning number of youth receiving MCFD services have died from illicit-toxic drug poisoning, offices across the province struggle to meet basic standards, audits are incomplete, MCFD social workers remain unregulated, and leadership’s efforts on cultural change have fallen short. This province needs a complete overhaul of the child welfare system, not another round of planning exercises.
-30-
Media contact:
JoJo Beattie
Press Secretary
B.C. Green Caucus
+1 250-882-6187 | jojo.beattie@leg.bc.ca
