MY CANADA - IS THERE ROOM FOR ANOTHER TRUDEAU?

Justin Trudeau has his father’s surname. He’s good looking. He’s fresh and public interest renders him charismatic. Since he announced his candidacy for leadership of the Liberal Party, he has looked like the front-runner and perhaps even a shoe-in winner. That is, until the airing recently of comments he made during a TV interview two years ago. The comments are divisive, fractious, not wise words for a national leader. But two years ago he was not yet an official candidate so he said what he wanted to say. His first quoted gaffe is, ““Canada is struggling right now because Albertans control our community and socio-democratic agenda. It doesn’t work.” That was followed by Trudeau’s comment that the greatest prime ministers were MPs from Quebec and then this, “This country — Canada — it belongs to us.”

CIVIL RIGHT & AYN VAN DYK

Civil or human or political rights are rights which rest upon the premise of birthright into a polity or state or society. Conceptually, one’s birth must ensure that a person is a citizen who can fully participate in the civil and political life of that state without experiencing discrimination or repression. Neither government or organizations or individuals must be permitted to infringe upon those basic human rights.

B.C.'s MINISTRY OF CHILDREN IS DAMAGED

I am deeply concerned. I am also confounded. I have respect for all who opt to work for the welfare of children and families. I applaud all who do their work effectively. I am puzzled each time I become aware of cases that have been handled badly by administrators or social workers. I hear the voices of so many parents and advocates for parents and their children that I have come to the conclusion that our own British Columbia Ministry of Children and Family Development is damaged. 

CULTURE OF THE COURTS IN CHILD PROTECTION CASES

Today's post is a comment in response to a variety of other comments made on a Facebook page dedicated to the return of Ayn Van Dyk to her father Derek Hoare. IT IS WRITTEN BY RAY FERRIS, A BLISTERING CRITIC OF THE WAY THE MINISTRY OF CHILDREN AND FAMILY DEVELOPMENT IS OPERATING TODAY. The Facebook page is entitled 'Help Bring little Autistic girl back to her daddy." You will find informative dialogue throughout the page. 

"As I said in my address to the conference last August and I repeated in the advice letter to parents which you put in the blog, the court is an industry providing employment for many people. Lawyers for prosecution and defence both make a lot more money out of prolonging cases. The culture of the courts is adversarial and so enmeshed in process that goals and outcomes become completely obscured. Who do you blame, when all the participants see themselves as victims of circumstance and powerless to change anything?

PRE-TRIAL HEARING & TRIAL DATE SCHEDULE

The pre-trial hearing date has been scheduled for November 23rd, in preparation for a trial for the trial scheduled for December 7th.

Ayn Van Dyk is ten years old and she was removed from her biological father’s custody and care in June 2011. Only now at the end of 2012, does her case come before a judge. All of this time MCFD has been able to defend its management of this case by using legislation that empowers it to care for the best interests of children and this case their procedure has been to withhold her family from her.

Please reflect on the cruelty of a system that permits a Ministry such as MCFD to take a child away from her parents, siblings and home and hold her for 18 months her case can be properly adjudicated for cause or legitimacy.

THREE TIMES THE LOVE

I have admired Derek Hoare serving the needs of two children with autism in his family of three children. It can be done. And if the Ministry of Children in B.C. has any doubt or if it requires a 101 refresher then I am recommending a book entitled, ‘Three Times the Love.”

Three Times the Love, by Lynn and Randy Gaston, is a memoir, written in Lynn's voice, chronicling the first few years of raising their triplets with autism.

SOCIAL SPENDING MUST BE MORE ACCOUNTABLE

We have come to expect that all neighbourhood and family problems can and should be addressed by social programs and social funds. Millions of dollars are poured into thousands of programs in British Columbia annually. Does that money make a difference? We do not know? People assume that it does but no exact measurement of outcomes is done. The default answer from officials is that it’s impossible to evaluate the impact of the investments. But wouldn’t responsible governance insist on gathering such evidence? How many of the children seized by the MCFD last year are better off outside their biological family life? If the money directed into foster parenting had been targeted to the improvement of biological families, how much more benefit would have been achieved? If increased effort was made to assist biological parents rather than take their children, how many millions of dollars would have been saved by avoiding court and legal expenses?

DEREK HOARE SPEAKS about CHLORPROMAZINE

This recent trilogy of posts began with my attribution to Derek Hoare of several statements concerning the drug chlorpromazine being administered to his daughter Ayn. When an anonymous writer took issue with that content, I found that Iacking knowledge of the drug I could not suitably answer. Furthermore, the writer questioned why Aime was not given custody of Ayn when the child was removed from Derek. I invited comments by Facebook respondents familiar with the drug as well as with Derek and Aime (Mom). Reactions were immediate, defensive of Derek and Aime, offended by the seeming insinuations by Anonymous. Among the expressions came the genuinely faultless answer by Aime herself, published here yesterday. Today, I am relating by direct quotation, the patient and well-informed account by Derek.

WHY IS AYN NOT WITH HER MOTHER?

Why doesn’t Aime have custody of her daughter?
That was the question posed by a commenter on my blog site.
Many of us took exception to the question being posed at all?

I have done some further thinking about the question because Aime herself provided an answer to the question. Once you begin reading, you had better continue to the end before you form an opinion about my motivation.

I bring the matter forward yet again, precisely to highlight Aime’s admirable response and to underscore the chain of errors in the administration of this family’s case. The MCFD is so far off the mark of what is in Ayn’s best interests, it can hardly claim that as an acceptable motto any longer.

Criminals and Lawbreakers

This article was written by Ray Ferris and published here on May 30th, 2012. He sent it to me this week believing that it is once again a timely comment with regard to the concerns that you and I have about the way MCFD handles some families.

Ray Ferris retired from a a career with the Ministry of Children and Family Development at a time prior to the present Child, Family and Community Services Act which empowers the current Ministry of Children and Family Development. He has been an unapologetic critic of Ministry mistakes, practices and case management for some time. He contributes comments here and occasionally I print his material as the primary post for the day. This is one of Ferris' posts. Ray is the author of 'The Art of Child Protection'. You can purchase it from him by writing to rtferris@telus.net.