We cannot continue to pour money in to the NDP’s faulty child welfare system without treating the reasons behind why Manitoba families are disintegrating: Gerrard

 Winnipeg – Jon Gerrard, Leader of the Manitoba Liberal Party and MLA for River Heights, today called the Liberal push to have the Children’s Advocate appear before a legislative committee “successful.” 

 “It is vital to the health and safety of Manitoba’s children, that we further explore the Office of the Children’s Advocate presentation to the LAMC,” said Gerrard.  “The Children’s Advocate made some very serious claims in her presentation about the state of our child welfare system.  Professional comments about the safety of our children need to be public record and not hidden away to protect the NDP from the repercussions of their poor performance.”

 Gerrard noted that it was ironic that the NDP were so opposed to having the Child Advocate speak publically about the number of Aboriginal children in care on a day that was meant to honour residential school survivors.

 “Today we had a gathering at the Legislature to remember our residential school survivors and their suffering as they were kept apart from their families.  Yet the NDP want to keep hidden the fact that we have more than 7200 Aboriginal children who have been removed from their homes under this government’s chaotic child and family welfare system.”

 The Manitoba Liberal Party believes that keeping families strong and healthy is the cornerstone to the Liberal commitment to social justice and fiscal responsibility.

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 For more information, please contact: Michelle Nyhof, Communications Officer for the Manitoba Liberal Caucus at (204) 771-2513 or email michelle.nyhof@leg.gov.mb.ca