Legislation to establish a new office to protect children and youth in Nova Scotia is being called a massive victory by advocates, many of whom have fought for this change for years.
On Tuesday, the Financial Measures Act was tabled, which includes changes to 15 bills and introduces two new acts, including the establishment of the Office for Children and Youth Act.
Alec Stratford, the executive director of the Nova Scotia College of Social Workers, calls it a “framework for where we need to go.”
“What the establishment of the Office of Children and Youth will do, is finally provide a political policy voice for children and youth who are often the most vulnerable and marginalized and who lack a political voice,” said Stratford.
Leading the charge is newly-appointed Community Services Minister Brendan Maguire, who himself was a child in the province’s care.
For Maguire, the work is personal.
“I wish it was something that was done 35 years ago when I was a child in care. And I think that a lot of times — especially our young children — their voice isn’t as strong,” he said. “I just want to make sure that those children and the youth have their voice heard.”
Establishing this advocacy office fulfills a promise made by the Tim Houston government in a ministerial mandate letter back in 2021.
The details on how the office will operate still have to be worked out. Stakeholders, including social worker and sociologist Robert Wright, says it’s important the office is given the ability to be the “chief critic.”
“Not a partisan critic, but an expert and independent critic of those services,” he explained. “Because it says that the government is really committed to improvement.”
Advocates say the office’s creation is long overdue, in light of what’s happening in the province and the beyond.
“This is urgent, it can’t wait,” said Stratford. “Given the attacks on LGBT2SIA youth across the country, the state of our child welfare system as well as our education systems, all require an active and consistent political voice. And this is the starting of that.”
Stratford says provinces that have child and youth advocate offices already are seeing improvements to actualizing the rights of children.
Maguire says he’ll continue working with stakeholders to make sure Nova Scotia gets it right.
“One of the things that we want is this to be as independent and free as possible and to make sure that the mandate is about the children and the youth and nothing else,” said Maguire.
— with a file from Rebecca Lau
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