'We're talking about our children's lives here': Ontario cuts child and youth advocate

The Ontario government has tabled fall economic legislation that will eliminate the Office of the Provincial Advocate for Children and Youth.

The Ontario Child Advocate serves as an independent watchdog to investigateill-treatment of children in the child welfare systemand to review government policy and practice around services to children. Theposition has been held by IrwinElmansince 2008.

The office's mandate includesproviding a voice for First Nations children and those with special needs.

In Ontario, Indigenous children account for4.1 per cent of the population under 15 but make up 30 per cent of children in foster care.

"We aredisheartened with the plans of the government to eliminate this position," said Walter Naveau, Deputy Grand Chief of Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN), an organization representing 49 First Nations in Northern Ontario.

"We're talking about our children's lives here our young people, children in care and having a strong advocate voice to ensure our children are not in danger.

"There's something very wrong here when the government starts taking away."

Finance Minister VicFedelidelivered the fall economic statement on Thursday. It cutsthree legislative officer positions: the child and youth advocate, environmental commissioner and the French language commissioner.

The announcement comes seven weeks after the Ontario's Office of theChief Coronerreleasedfindings in an investigation into the suicides of 12 youth inthe province's child welfare system.Eightof the 12 youth were from First Nations in Northern Ontario.

Thereport found that most of the youth hadsignificant mental health challenges but lacked access to appropriate help.

When asked for comment, the chief coroner's office respondedvia email, "The policies of the government are determined by duly elected officials and as such, we defer to them to respond to any questions, concerns or issues from members of the public."

Irwin Elmansaid in a statement that he was not informed of the Ontario government's plans to repeal the legislation that governs the work of the Ontario Child Advocateand found out through the media Thursday morning.

"This advocate has been quite amazing at developing networks of young people in the North, bringing their issues forward," said Suzan Fraser, a lawyer whose practice focuses on vulnerable people.

She has handled a number of cases regarding Ontario children in care, including Indigenous youth.

"I don't know how this government is more concerned about financial abuse than it is about child abuse," she said.

"We know that institutions that serve children fail when there are not key measures of accountability, where there are no watchdogs."

Before the legislation was tabled Thursday, Children, Community and Social Services Minister Lisa MacLeod would not confirm that the position of provincial child advocate was going to be eliminated but saidthe government was going to continue to support children in Ontario.

"I can assure everyone in the legislature that the fiercest child advocate in this province will be me."

With files from LorendaReddekopp

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