B.C.’s former Child and Youth representative is still working to help children even after leaving her post.
Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond, now the head of the UBC residential school centre, is lobbying the federal government to create legislation to protect indigenous children in the child welfare system.
But with a federal election looming she has concerns.
“And again if you don’t push from where ever you are they won’t improve. So the federal legislation is really important. They have made a commitment toward but we are in the dying days of a government. We are 18 months away from an election so when are we going to see it? I think a lot of First Nations leaders, and peoples, and child welfare advocates, and others are like we have talked about it. We are getting very close to it. Now will you please show us what you are going to do.”
Turpel-Lafond says in B.C. alone there are 4,000 aboriginal kids in government care and not necessarily in their family community.