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NDP Children and Family critic demands change to deal with child poverty
VANCOUVER/CKNW (AM980)
Shane Woodford | Email news tips to shane.woodford@corusent.com
9/26/2012

The NDP are condemning the provincial government for aborting the fall sitting of the legislature after the latest update on child poverty in BC.

 Children and Family critic Claire Trevena says the report shows politicians need to be working on solutions in Victoria.

 She calls a disproportionately large number of first nations kids affected by child poverty a "huge problem."

 "Which underlines why we need to have a province wide poverty reduction plan the Minister has heard directly from some of these communities that have a pilot project and these communties are saying it doesn't work the way you have it because the Ministery of Children and Families is involved we have to have a province wide approach."

 Trevena calls the deaths of 101 children either in foster care or recieving services by the ministry, a tragedy.

 "There is clearly something going very wrong when a child in care dies we have to really provide the best protection possible right the way through from birth all the way through teen and into young adulthood and I think we let our kids down there aren't the supports in place needed there are lots of pressures in many families facing severe poverty."

 Trevena says sweeping changes, and lots of them, is exactly the problem.

 "I think that one of the things that is really needed in this area is stability there has been too many sweeping changes I think that this is one of the things that has been a real problem for the Ministry of Children and Family Development that it has gone from one extreme to the other and back I think what we need is we need stability and we need to work on the root causes of why many times children end up in care and that is often times because of poverty."

 She says the province needs to work on root causes for child poverty.


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  1. RonE_1902 posted on 09/26/2012 10:35 PM
    What about none First Nations children Mr. Dix are they any less important in your great plan as premier?
    1. HJDH posted on 09/27/2012 02:11 PM
      @RonE_1902 I read this as inclusive of all children, First Nation or otherwise
  2. DavidSB posted on 09/27/2012 08:01 AM
    Calling it child poverty is pure propaganda. You are using kids to forward your agenda. That is very unethical. Since most children are 100% dependent upon their caregivers, they all have zero income and thus are all in poverty. They don't want to admit that it is the parents that are poor because then it is harder to manipulate people into making changes.

    I'm not against helping children, but when you start off with a lie about their status that is when I want to take a step back and find out what is really going on
  3. Jartann posted on 09/27/2012 08:32 AM
    As usual the NDP are clueless. Childhood poverty and the death of children in the "care" of the government.

    Childhood poverty is measured with a stat not intended to be used for the purpose of calculating poverty. No matter it fits the agenda of higher taxes, petty moralizing and bigger government. The main root cause I have seen for child poverty is pretty easy: really bad decisions made by parents.

    Reportable income is relied on to identified the "poor". This ignores tax free money in the form of GST credits, Child tax benefits, and Child support in marital breakdown situations. If your employer pays your MSP premium, that is income to you-if a family pays no premium due to having a low reportable income-this is ignored.

    Sadly, no one in the media, and that includes those on CKNW are sufficiently astute or economically literate to understand this, so I am sure Bill Good and SImi Sara will just help the NDP to spread this propaganda.
  4. DianneF_4010 posted on 09/27/2012 08:44 AM
    The Liberal Government have ditched so many programs for women and children services - it's all about the big bucks and business - forget the rest.
    No wonder things are going so seriously wrong. And those FAW's are so bogged down with case loads they cannot do their jobs properly. Policy and procedure changes are sent to these offices continuously but the overworked FAW's do not have the time to even look at them before they are changed again and again; as a result children and families are falling through the cracks of the system. The Government is spending our tax dollars on the overpampered CEO's and not putting enough money into people in need and things that make our life here in BC a better place for everyone. What affects these children and families affects all of us in one way or another!
  5. noparty posted on 09/27/2012 11:06 AM
    Why is it that the NDP and the unions are always DEMANDING that things change from their perspective? Cant' they SUGGEST and offer solutions instead?
  6. joes_2868 posted on 09/27/2012 11:21 AM
    The NDP have no right to comment about the no sitting of the fall legislature. Mike Harcourt's NDP government holds the record for the least days of legislative sittings as one year he had the MLA's only sit for 11 days for the entire year. The NDP should be proud as this is a Canada record.
  7. HJDH posted on 09/27/2012 02:06 PM
    Does anyone doubt the Liberal's indifference to children? We have neglect of financial support for the Ministry of Children and Families, lack of early childhood education funding, and power enforcement of maintenance orders. On the other hand we do have a nice roof on BC Stadium, a new highway to Whistler, and payment of legal fees for criminals. It's just a matter of priorities!
    1. HJDH posted on 09/27/2012 02:07 PM
      @HJDH "improper enforcement"
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