Child and Youth Advocate releases statement on recent Supreme Court ruling

Karen Gray, Child and Youth Advocate, released a statement regarding the recent ruling by the Supreme Court that deemed the Children’s Law Act and the Children, Youth and Families Act violate section seven of the Charter.

Justice Laura Mennie raised concerns about permanency planning for children by the Department of Families and Affordability, citing evidence by the Department as corroborating her concerns.

The statistics provided to the Court by the Department of Families and Affordability for the timeframe of March 31, 2018, to March 31, 2024, reported that over 500 children and youth are in continuous care each year, yet only 190 adoptions have been finalized in the same timeframe.

Gray said, “The statistics provided to the Court are extremely concerning. This demonstrates that there have been no improvements in permanency planning, despite recommendations from my Office dating back to 2013. Given this, my office will be conducting an examination of how permanency planning is achieved for children and youth in care. I have given notice to the Department of Families and Affordability of my intention to conduct this examination.”