Opposition concerned government-appointed voice for children is silent?

Opposition Leader and MHA for the District of Cartwright L’Anse au Clair, Yvonne Jones, charges the Acting Child and Youth Advocate appointed by government is not doing his job by releasing a report into the programs and services at the Janeway Psychiatry Unit J4D and then refusing to answer any questions on the findings.

Acting Advocate John Rorke released his report on Friday of last week and has since declined to speak on the report or field questions.  The report puts forth 18 recommendations that are intended to strengthen psychiatry programs and services at the Janeway. 

“A read of this report elicits a number of outstanding questions and the Acting Advocate should make himself available to address these concerns, not just from an accountability to the general public, but more importantly in terms of his being a voice for the children of this province,” says Jones.  “It is unacceptable and questionable that he has rejected requests to publicly speak about his report and recommendations that affect the lives of children and youth.

 “This report has serious gaps including the current advocate’s failure to consult directly with the children and the parents of the two families who came forward with their concerns about the inadequate level of mental health services in the province. These people were at the heart of the controversy which led to Mr. Rorke’s investigation of services at J4D.  How can he justify not interviewing them? Where is his due diligence?

“I question whether this is a gag order because I cannot accept the fact that a person with his serious responsibility should turn down requests to explain and clarify his work, especially when it involves the protection of such vulnerable members of our society.  One of the principles of advocacy is to be accessible and accountable, not just to children in our province but to the public.

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