PC MLAs reject call to create Child and Youth Advocate

HALIFAX – At this week’s Community Services Committee, PC MLAs voted down a New Democrat motion to take action to create the long-promised Child and Youth Advocate.

The motion called for members to support the immediate establishment of the Office of Child and Youth Advocate. Every PC member of the committee voted against it, despite the clear need for an independent office to protect the needs of children and youth across the province.

“When the Houston government wants to act, we’ve seen them move quickly. But when it comes to the children of Nova Scotia, they’re dragging their feet,” said NSNDP Opportunities and Social Development Critic Lina Hamid. “One third of food bank users in our province are children, and the Auditor General has raised serious concerns about the child welfare program. Our children cannot wait; they need a Child and Youth Advocate whose sole job is to make sure children are being heard in this province so they can grow up safe and supported.”

Nova Scotia is one of only two provinces without a Child and Youth Advocate. The Houston government promised to establish the office in 2021, but four years later has yet to deliver.

“The NDP have been calling for this advocate since 2018, and the Houston government and Liberal government before them have failed to deliver,” said Hamid. “Children are among our most vulnerable citizens, and they deserve the same protection and oversight that children have in other provinces in Canada.”

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