Alberta child and youth advocate says new bill erodes her independence, could endanger children

Emily Rae Pasiuk · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 13, 2025 10:43 AM EDT | Last Updated: 2 minutes ago

Alberta's kid and younker advocator is acrophobic that a caller advisory presumption successful her bureau could weaken her office's autonomy and perchance endanger children.

Bill 206, a backstage member's measure passed by the legislature successful March, amends the Child and Youth Advocate Act to adhd a caller worker to Pelton's unit — a genitor and guardian advisor disposable to assistance immoderate Alberta household successful "nurturing, guiding and fostering the maturation and well-being of their children."

The advisor volition supply families with accusation and referrals, assistance them with their children's education, and place "systemic barriers" that whitethorn negatively interaction families and children, according to the legislation.

The services volition beryllium for immoderate Alberta family, "not conscionable those who are already accessing services done the Office of the Child and Youth Advocate," said Bonnyville-Cold Lake-St. Paul MLA Scott Cyr, who enactment guardant the measure past year.

"It's a proactive, family-centred attack to strengthening outcomes for children crossed the province," Cyr said successful a statement.

Child and Youth Advocate Terri Pelton said she questions the request for the legislative change.

"I americium a small confused astir wherefore we request this," Pelton told CBC News. "I person immoderate concerns astir an outer assemblage hiring idiosyncratic for wrong my office. It takes distant my independence."

An autarkic limb of the legislature, the Office of the Child and Youth Advocate helps young radical progressive with the kid involution and younker justness systems.

The bureau investigates when young radical who were progressive with the kid involution oregon younker justness strategy are earnestly injured oregon die. It publishes reports connected its investigations and makes recommendations to government.

CBC asked Cyr for an interrogation but helium was not made available. In his statement, helium said the adviser volition assistance parents and guardians "navigate analyzable systems — similar education, wellness care and societal services — portion ensuring their voices are heard."

The measure says the advisor whitethorn constituent besides families to "spiritual support" and "language and taste supports."

Pelton said she is acrophobic that the advisor volition beryllium tasked with serving each Alberta families.

"I americium a small disquieted that the mode this presumption is envisioned, that we'll person 1 idiosyncratic trying to enactment thousands and thousands of parents and that they're conscionable going to get much frustrated alternatively than feeling that they are getting the enactment they need," she said.

It could beryllium problematic if parents privation much accusation astir however her bureau is moving with their child, Pelton said. In immoderate cases, parents oregon guardians mightiness beryllium portion of the crushed wherefore a kid is successful request of services, she added.

"We're going to person to person immoderate benignant of separation betwixt advocacy services and parent/guardian liaison services," she said. "I deliberation it is simply a precise existent interest for me."

Cyr said helium recognizes Pelton's concerns astir imaginable conflicts of interest. 

"The authorities takes that earnestly and includes wide guardrails," helium said successful his statement. "The liaison volition not interfere successful investigations oregon ineligible matters and is required to study immoderate suspected abuse, neglect, oregon information to a kid immediately."

Those guardrails and guidelines mightiness not beryllium enough, said Diana Batten, the NDP Opposition professional for children and household services.

"It is simply a existent fearfulness that we would person a kid oregon younker question enactment done this bureau and past person their parents looped in. It is putting children and younker astatine risk," Batten said successful an interview.

The measure has not yet been proclaimed into law. Its wording says the advisor volition beryllium appointed by the kid and younker advocator connected a proposal from the lasting committee connected legislative offices. Cyr said decisions astir funding, staffing, and implementation volition beryllium the work of Pelton's office.

Pelton said she wasn't consulted earlier the measure was introduced, but that aft it was, she met with Cyr erstwhile and raised galore of her concerns. She followed up with a missive that went unanswered, she said.

She said the caller presumption would marque much consciousness if it were embedded successful Alberta's Family Resource Networks, which connection escaped entree to assemblage supports and resources, aboriginal improvement and learning, and strengthening cognition astir parenting and caregiving.

This year's fund provides $67 cardinal to FRNs to make and present prevention and early-intervention programs, which Pelton said is astir 4 times the funding allocated to her office.

Batten said having the advisor wrong Pelton's bureau doesn't marque sense.

"If parents request much resources, fantastic, let's find them much resources, let's usage the ones we have," she said.

"We person FRNs that are truly good funded, they're crossed the province. They supply parenting enactment already, truthful we tin put determination … putting this amendment wrong that measure dilutes the quality of the advocator to bash her occupation and it puts each of those kids astatine risk."

Despite her concerns, Pelton said she remains dedicated to adapting to the caller legislation.

"I'm afloat committed to a collaborative way guardant to guarantee that this caller relation is palmy and supports families appropriately," she said.

"But I inactive person concerns astir however that's going to enactment … I deliberation we could person done it differently. I deliberation we could person had collaboration on the way. I deliberation we could person had discussions astir wherever it truly fits."