June 1st, 2022
Horwath and the NDP commit to taking the profit out of child welfare
NDP Leader Andrea Horwath and NDP candidate Irwin Elman, former Child Advocate for Ontario, jointly released the following statement in response to reporting by Global News and APTN and a second report released today on the life of children in care – particularly those living in group homes:
“The stories of children in group homes are harrowing. Reporting by Global News and APTN sheds light on how the child welfare system is devastating young lives. The most vulnerable children in Ontario are living with hunger, violence, mistreatment, a lack of medical care, and emotional abuse.
There is absolutely no doubt that successive Liberal and Conservative governments have failed our children. Instead of providing safety and security to kids in this province, Doug Ford has threatened to cut millions from Children’s Aid societies and eliminated Ontario’s Independent Child Advocate. For many, the child advocate was their only voice.
But we refuse to give up hope. We refuse to give up on any child in care now, and future generations of Ontario’s children.
The NDP is committed to getting profits out of child welfare. An NDP government would reinstate Ontario’s independent Child Advocate and ensure children in Ontario’s child welfare and youth justice systems have a say in decisions about their future. We will extend the moratorium on aging out of care and consult with youth to produce a system that commits to support them as they enter adulthood.
We can’t cut corners when it comes to children’s safety. The NDP will fight every day to give children the basic care and necessities they deserve. We have to.”
