Opposition introduces four amendments to the Care and Protection of Children and Youth Act

While the Opposition will support the introduction of new legislation protecting children and youth in Newfoundland and Labrador, there are still gaps that should be addressed, says Opposition Leader Yvonne Jones. Jones introduced four amendments to the legislation this afternoon in the House of Assembly in an effort to provide greater protection for children and youth.

“This legislation is much needed and I certainly have no problems supporting it in the House of Assembly,” said Ms. Jones. “While the spirit and intent of the Act is moving in the right direction, I still feel there are gaps that can be addressed through amendments. As a result, the Opposition has introduced four amendments that will hopefully be considered and supported by government.”

Jones says the four amendments relate to the five-year statutory legislative review by the minister, the commitment to the monitoring process by the minister, the need for investigation by managers and social workers and the need to provide licensed residential placements.

“We have brought forward a number of issues to the House of Assembly related to child and youth protection. In our review of the legislation, we identified areas where we believe these issues have not been fully addressed and we hope that our amendments will close some of these gaps. This is a very important piece of legislation and all members of the House of Assembly must work together to ensure we get it right. It is too important not to ensure we have a full debate and highlight areas where potential improvements can be made.”

Proposed Amendments

1. Subclause 12(1) of the Bill is amended by deleting the words and commas

“unless, upon assessment, the manager or social worker is satisfied that the information provided was without merit or without reasonable grounds”.

2. Subclause 62(3) of the Bill is amended by adding immediately after the word “placement” a comma and the words “provided that the residential placements have been permitted and are regulated in accordance with guidelines developed by the department”.

3. Clause 80 of the Bill is deleted and the following is substituted:

            “Statutory review

            80. The minister shall 

                        (a)  every 5 years, conduct a review of this Act and the                                                 principles on which it is based and consider the areas which may be improved; and

                        (b) include public consultations when conducting a review under paragraph (a).”

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