Manitoba's Protecting Children Act must go further: NDP, Liberal critics say

As the Progressive Conservatives get ready totable their Protecting Children Act, opposition critics from both the provincial Liberal and New Democratic Partiesare looking for the government to go further.

Scott Fielding, the minister of the recently named Families Department, said thenew legislation will help everyone dedicated to finding missing kids work faster and better.

"To make it easier for government departments, child and family service authorities, community service providers and law enforcement agencies to share information and collaborate while dealing with victimization and at-risk children," Fielding said in the Legislature on Wednesday, which was also International Missing Children's Day.

New Democrat and Liberal critics are concerned the government won't go far enough to improve the conditions that prompt children to go missing and support their families.

JudyKlassen, Liberal MLA for Keewatinook,told the Legislature thatManitoba has the highest rate of missing children per capita in Canada and inWinnipeg 83 per centof missing children are in the care of Child and Family Services.

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Klassen said while she was campaigning in the recent election she heard from people who are living with the perpetual grief of a missing child.

"My hope is we never relax on our duties to protect our most vulnerable our children," Klassen said.

Thoseconcerns were echoed by St. Johns NDP MLA Nahanni Fontaine who wasinvolved inthe campaign for an inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls.

"We must ensure the safety of children with the development of a 24-7 drop-in centre for Indigenous women and girls and provide additional supports for families living through such trauma," Fontaine said.

Fontaine added thatthe government hasmentioned little about support for missingIndigenous children or their familiesin either thethrone speech or the recently publishedministers' mandate letters.

She said she isconcerned thatthere won't be any new initiatives or funds to support them in the new budget.

A spokesperson for Fielding saidatimetable to introduce the Protecting Children Act is still being determined.

The new government has released no details on what it will or won't be funding in the upcoming budget.

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