B.C. Premier David Eby has pulled Mitzi Dean from her post as the minister of children and family development and appointed Victoria member of the legislature Grace Lore to the position.
Dean’s tenure in the ministry has been rocky, with several horrifying cases of abuse of children in government care during her watch leading to calls for her resignation by the Green Party and First Nations Leadership Council.
Eby says Dean will now serve as minister of state for child care, overseeing the province’s child care initiatives. He described Monday’s shuffle as a “significant reset” at the Ministry of Children and Family Development (MCFD).
“Minister Dean and I have been talking about the challenges facing this ministry and our shared goal of delivering care for every single child in the province, and we’ve reached together the reluctant decision to make a significant reset at the ministry with a new minister and a new deputy minister so that we can continue to move forward,” Eby said.
“I don’t think it’s a surprise to anyone to say that the ministry and particularly, the system in the province has faced significant challenges in reaching our shared goal of ensuring every kid is looked after the way that they should be.”
Eby said calls for Dean’s resignation did not impact the decision to reassign her.
“Minister Dean has done exceptional work in the role,” he said.
“She has led transition of responsibility over Indigenous children in the system to First Nations. She has overseen the reduction of the number of kids in care to the lowest level we’ve seen in this province.”
Last June, First Nations and Opposition leaders called for Dean’s job in the aftermath of an egregious and tragic case of child abuse that resulted in the death of a First Nations boy.
That month, two Fraser Valley foster parents — a married couple — had been sentenced to 10 years behind bars for manslaughter and six for aggravated assault for their appalling torture of a brother and sister in their care. The 11-year-old boy died after a beating in February 2021, weighing less than 65 pounds.
Dean declined to resign at the time, reiterating she was “absolutely committed to continuing the work” to improve safety and quality of life for all kids in foster care. In an interview with Global News, however, she would not answer “yes” or “no” when asked whether she could guarantee that Indigenous children taken from their families are safer in government hands than with their birth parents, stating instead that “we put the safety of children and youth first.”
“That’s our absolute duty. That’s the priority of what we’re doing,” Dean said in July.
“What we do is we make sure that children and youth are in a safe place, that they are loved, that they’re nurtured, that their health and well-being is being taken care of.”
Dean called the Fraser Valley case a “real tragedy,” apologized and extended her “deepest sympathies.”
As of March 2022, the latest date for which statistics are posted publicly, an estimated 68 per cent of all B.C. children and youth in care were Indigenous. However, at 5,037 children in total, that number is a 50 per cent reduction from 2001.
The premier says Lore, who served as parliamentary secretary for gender equity, will bring passion and experience to MCFD.
“Obviously, MCFD is not an easy file. It is certainly one of the most challenging, if not the most challenging file, because of what’s at stake,” Eby said. “I’m glad she’s taking it on, it’s going to be a big challenge, but I know she’s up for it.”
Eby also appointed Andrew Mercier as minister of state for sustainable forestry to support Forests Minister Bruce Ralston.
In another shuffle, the premier named Vancouver’s George Chow as the parliamentary secretary for international credentials to help remove barriers for internationally trained professionals to work in B.C.
— with files from The Canadian Press