B.C. Premier Christy Clark says she regrets her government’s actions after a letter was sent out to the father of a child who died while in care of the Ministry of Children and Family Development (MCFD) earlier this year.
The ministry’s letter warned Peter Lang, whose son Nick died after spending six days in a program for drug addiction that was paid for by the ministry, that his son’s privacy rights were breached by him speaking out about the case.
Nick’s case was mentioned in Question Period on Wednesday, where, under pressure from the opposition, Christy Clark apologized for a letter that government lawyers sent to Lang.
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“If it is not the most heartless you have ever heard, I would be quite challenged to hear something worse,” said NDP leader John Horgan.
WATCH: B.C. Premier Christy Clark offers apology in Question Period.
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Clark responded by saying she regrets the letter was ever sent out.
She says, instead, the government should have reached out to the family and heard their comments rather than send them a letter on policy.
“We have a greater duty to our citizens than that,” said Clark.
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Nick Lang was 15 when he took his own life earlier this year. He was addicted to meth and was placed with a family in Campbell River while he attended the drug addiction program.
The family says their son was not properly supervised while he was in care, but his host family says they were never informed that Lang needed constant supervision.
The ministry announced an independent review into Nick’s death, but Global News has now learned that review is being conducted by a former MCFD employee.
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