As recently as June 2010, Times Colonist columnist Lindsay Kines reported that the NDP was calling for Mary Polak to resign as Minister of Children and Family Development. Frankly, that is no solution to anything about which we have been writing for months. Ministers come and go with regularity as it is. This opposition attack against a Liberal Minister came as a result of the tensions between MCFD and Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond, the Representative for Children and Youth. More specifically it related to the safety of children in the Child in the Home of a Relative program. Turpel-Lafond's claim was that a great many of the children could be at risk within the program. Maurine Karagianis, NDP children's critic jumped on this, saying that Turpel-Lafond had provided convincing evidence that many caregivers were never background checked and some have criminal records and that one in three children might be at risk. Polak pointed out that while the program is subsumed by her ministry, these are really not children in the care of the province. They are in the care of family, some of whom require income assistance. Further, in any specific case where risk is indicated, the Ministry is quick to do assessment and respond appropriately. I found interesting the response by the B.C. Association of Social Workers who echoed Karagianis's concern over what it called Polak's “dismissive” response to the Representative's report. That was in June and of course Mary Polak did not resign in the face of that political manoeuvre nor should she have.
Political gamesmanship does not address our issues with MCFD case stories. The subject of our complaints is the decisions made within communities by MCFD Directors and social workers as they daily interpret their governing ACT. Our focus is upon the empowerment mandated to MCFD by the ACT that creates such heartache for families which do not require such invasive intervention. Mary Polak needs to sit with troubled parents for many days and just listen. Then she needs to lead the campaign to enact true legislative changes which effectively reduce this constant criticism of MCFD by compelling accountable and compassionate child, youth and family social work. She needs to create dialogue with Turpel-Lafond so that the two agencies harmonize efforts to improve lives. She may need to stand up to some of her colleagues to say, this is the way we are going to do things. Is she up to that task? That's the question. Her credentials are weighty. Do they qualify her or signify the right stuff to truly make a difference to children and families? I sincerely hope so. Minister's don't have much time in these offices to affect great change.
(Bio Material from her site) She was re-elected to the B.C. Legislature in 2009, having represented the constituents of Langley since 2005. On June 10, 2009, Mary Polak was appointed Minister of Children and Family Development and Minister Responsible for Child Care. She serves on the Executive Council of the Government of B.C. Prior to her Cabinet post she served as the Minister of Healthy Living and Sport and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health for the Conversation on Health. Ms. Polak previously sat on the Cabinet Committee on New Relationship Coordination and the Government Caucus Committee on Social Development as well as on the Government Caucus Committee for Natural Resources and the Economy, the Select Standing Committees for Children and Youth, Education and Public Accounts, the Cabinet Committee on Agenda Development and the Special Committee to Review the Personal Information Protection Act.
Prior to being elected to the Legislative Assembly, Mary Polak was director of operations for a small polling and research firm and was a trustee and former chair of the Surrey School Board. Under her leadership, Surrey became the first school district in B.C. to balance its books according to generally accepted accounting principles. She led an initiative to make Surrey the first school district in the province to publish school-by-school results for both elementary and secondary schools. Throughout her nine years in local government, Mary worked with many regional and provincial organizations. As a representative to the Lower Mainland Consortium of School Districts for Successful Settlement, she twice presented briefs to the Federal Immigration Commission. In the mid 1990s, Mary chaired the Council of British Columbia School Districts and in 2003, was elected to the board of directors of the British Columbia School Trustees Association. Mary enjoys living in Langley's Willoughby area.
Indeed it does not make sense to call for someone's head, especially so soon after being appointed.
ReplyDeletePerhaps it would be more relevant to examine past Ministerial appointments and review their accomplishments.
Obviously a politician does not want to leave a post in worse condition than a predecessor. It doesn't look good on the resume.
Unless, the appointment is a "paying dues" sort of a job that every minister dreads, but will have better opportunities after, if they survive at the end of the term.
It makes no sense to replace Polak, because the ministers are powerless anyway. Leslie Dutoit has all the power and she reports directly to the premier's office and not to her minister. The only thing that the minister can do is to try to change legislation. She should change that perfectly dreadful child family and community services act and make sure that directors are not all powerful. She should give a whole lot more power to Mary-Ellen Turpel-Lafonde, the child advocate. Anyway Ron, what I really want to do today is to ask a question.
ReplyDeleteA QUESTION
This is a question that I would like to ask Mary Polak and Leslie Dutoit. I would like to ask it of Bruce McNeill, John Fitzsimmons,Behre Gulbot, Loren Humeny, Kimberly Grey, Dr.Colbourne and anyone els who had influence on the BAyne case.The question. Did the thought ever cross your mind that the Baynes may be perfectly innocent of ever deliberately harming a child? Did you ever think about the possibility that Dr, Colbourne could have been completely mistaken and the injury was entirely accidental? Did it ever occur to you that if the Baynes are telling the truth and are blameless, then the most horrible and cruel injustice has been inflicted on them for nearly three years? Do you find such an injustice hard to think about?
If you go on to think that you too had a part in in inflicting this torture on the family, does that send shudders down your spine, or should I say spines. As the trial---ordeal--progresses---it looks increasingly certain that the Baynes never did a thing to their baby.Now you can consider that it is almost certain that they are innocent, how does that make you FEEL? A FINAL QUESTION. Does anyone one of you have the integrity and the courage to contact the blog and tell us how the innocence of the Baynes makes you feel? I thought not.