Rakhi Pancholi, NDP Children’s Services Critic. (Alberta NDP)

By rdnewsNOW Staff

34 Deaths This Year

NDP calls for ministerial panel on children in government care

Nov 24, 2021 | 3:31 PM

Alberta’s NDP is demanding the immediate re-establishment of a Ministerial Panel to see through what they say is urgently needed improvements to supports for children in care and child intervention services in the wake of a new report that sees 2021 verging on a grim record.

Party officials say figures released by the Ministry of Children’s Services this week show that between Apr. 1, 2021 and Oct. 31, 2021, 30 young Albertans receiving child intervention have died.

The NDP say four more deaths have been reported this month alone, for a total of 34 so far this year. Party officials say 34 deaths ties a record for the most deaths in a single year dating back to 2013 with five months still remaining in the fiscal year.

“These are children and young adults placed in government care. Children who have experienced more trauma and hardship than most adults ever will,” said Rakhi Pancholi, NDP Children’s Services Critic. “They were put in government care to give them a new start, to give them a chance and they were failed.”

The NDP says 13 of the deceased children were 0-12, five were teenagers aged 13-17 and 16 were in the eighteen-plus age group, further noting the previous record number of deaths occurred last year, with 34 reported over 12 full months.

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“We’re on pace to nearly double that this year,” Pancholi said. “More must be done immediately to fix this crisis — we cannot wait.”

“That’s why I am calling for an immediate re-establishment of an all-party Ministerial Panel on Child Intervention. We need solutions, we need to see through recommendations accepted under the NDP Government that are clearly being ignored.”

Pancholi said the Government should also immediately stop its move to pull supports from children aging out of government care. The party notes the government announced in November 2019 it was lowering the maximum age of those who qualify for support to 22 from 24.

“At the time, we called on the UCP government to immediately reverse course on this horrific and cruel policy change,” Pancholi said. “They ignored us and instead went to court to fight against young people whose lives will be devastated by these changes.”

The NDP says a single mother in her early 20s launched a constitutional challenge against the UCP’s changes; however, the government’s appeal of that injunction was granted in January and the policy change stands.

“By taking away these vital supports that give financial help for things like rent, groceries, and health benefits to vulnerable Albertans who are trying to get their lives on track, the UCP government has set them up to fail,” Pancholi said.

According to the NDP, the results of those cuts are reflected in the numbers, with the loss of 14 young adults in the 18-plus group.

“It is clear, this UCP government is willing to put young Albertans at risk,” Pancholi said. ”Their harmful policies and inaction cannot be allowed to stand. It’s time for them to step up and take emergency steps that will ultimately save lives.”