B.C. children's advocate takes swipe at government

B.C.'s representative for Children and Youth has taken another shot at the government of Premier Gordon Campbell, saying the Ministry for Children and Family Development is not responding to her recommendations.

Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond said Wednesday that the ministry has failed to respond to two reports last year, one on childrenand crime and the other on housing.

'I need a response of some kind' B.C. Children's Representative Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond

"In those two reports, there are about 13 recommendations," Turpel-Lafond said.

"Probably about 10 of them [are] directed at the Ministry of Children and Family in a number of practical areas, and I've received no response to any of them."

The minister, Mary Polak, said she was perplexed by Turpel-Lafond's statement.

"We have been regularly meeting with her. I have been. The staff have been," Polak said.

"She's aware of how we intended to be responding. Some of the reports, of course, have yet to be responded to. Some we have responded to."

Committee hears complaints

Turpel-Lafond's latest broadside came outside a meeting Wednesday of the legislative committee for children and families.

The government had told her it would report to the committee, not to her office, so she went to the meeting to complain about the lack of response to the two 2009 reports, Turpel-Lafond said.

"If the response is we reject the recommendation that's been made, that's fine.They're entitled to have a response. It's just I need a response of some kind to them so I can move forward."

It's not the first time Turpel-Lafond has had a run-in with the government. In the three years she has been on the job she has frequently challenged the ministry and the legislative committeefor not responding to her recommendationsand for threatening to withhold funds from her office.

On Wednesday her frustration seemed to show.

"I still do my job. I still review, do investigations and look at the system and work with who I can work with. I just don't think British Columbians get the value that they need to get," she said.

Later on Wednesday, Polak's staff released a list showing the minister spoke or met with Turpel-Lafond nine times in 2009.