Background

How did we get here? 

  • In 2015, a Coroner’s Inquest into the murder/suicide of a four year old child and his mother, resulted in fifteen recommendations to include a Child Advocate for Prince Edward Island

  • In 2016, the Child Protection Act Review Advisory Committee Report identified sixty-six recommendations to improve child safety and child well-being on PEI to include:

    • Ensuring the rights and freedoms of children are maintained;

    • Children be afforded the opportunity to participate in matters affecting them; and, that

    • Children’s voices be heard by a neutral third party not connected to government services.

  • At that time, PEI remained the only province in Canada without an independent officer of the Legislative Assembly responsible to promote and protect the rights of children and youth and to provide oversight of government funded programs and services to children and youth

  • In January 2018, the 2017 Prince Edward Island Children’s Report by the Chief Public Health Office was publically released establishing a baseline of key indicators of child health and well-being in PEI and calling for action for PEI children

  • In March 2018, phase one of an interdepartmental Child Well-Being Steering Committee was established to provide oversight for implementation of a transformative social determinants of child well-being response to improve outcomes for Prince Edward Island children based on the 2016 Child Protection Act Review Advisory Committee Report and the 2017 Prince Edward Island Children’s Report

  • Four working groups were established:

    • Information Sharing and Collaboration

    • Measurements

    • Legal / Court Processes

    • Indigenous Child Well-being

  • On January 7, 2019, Michele Dorsey was appointed Children’s Commissioner and Advocate for PEI and a new Office for Children and Youth was located in Executive Council Office. Leadership responsibility for Phase Two of the Child Well-Being Steering Committee was assigned to the new Office for Children and Youth

  • In April 2019, during a provincial election, three political parties referenced a Child and Youth Advocate in their party platforms, two of which called for an independent Child and Youth Advocate

  • In June 2019, the PEI Speech from the Throne signaled Government’s commitment to establish an independent Child and Youth Advocate Office

  • In July 2019, a consultation draft of a proposed PEI Child and Youth Advocate Act was prepared to include appointment of an independent officer of the PEI Legislative Assembly to serve as the Child and Youth Advocate along with the establishment of an Office of the Child and Youth Advocate

  • Between August 2019 and October 2019, there was extensive public consultation on the draft PEI Child and Youth Advocate Act

  • On November 20, 2019, the PEI Child and Youth Advocate Act received 2nd and 3rd readings in the PEI Legislative Assembly

  • In May 2020, Premier King announced appointment of the PEI Children and Youth Table, to serve as an interim bridge until appointment of an independent Child and Youth Advocate, to ensure the voices and views of children and youth were heard and considered in matters affecting them on PEI

  • On May 26, 2020, Marv Bernstein was appointed by the PEI Legislative Assembly as the first independent Child and Youth Advocate effective July 15, 2020 

  • On July 15, 2020, Marv Bernstein was sworn in as an independent officer of the PEI Legislative Assembly and the PEI Child and Youth Advocate Act was proclaimed

  • On July 15, 2020, following appointment of Marv Bernstein and proclamation of the PEI Child and Youth Advocate Act, the Office of the Child and Youth Advocate was officially opened

  • On July 17, 2020, Senator Brian Francis and Mi’kmaq Elder Judy Clark were officially welcomed as the first guests to the new Office of the Child and Youth Advocate and Elder Judy performed a smudging ceremony for the office, staff and guests

  • In September 2020, the former PEI Children and Youth Table transitioned to the Child and Youth Advisory Committee of the PEI Office of the Child and Youth Advocate

 

Background Media

CBC – New auditor general, child advocate and privacy commissioner appointed – Marvin Bernstein will serve as P.E.I.’s first independent child and youth advocate (May 26, 2020)

Office of the Official Opposition – Without a Child and Youth Advocate, Island Children Remain at Risk (April 24, 2020)

CBC – P.E.I. readies to appoint new advocate during spring sitting – Opposition says competitive process to fill position will be ‘independent and non-partisan’ (January 18, 2020)

Ocean 100 – MLAs unanimously pass Bill to create independent Child and Youth Advocate Office (November 21, 2019)

CBC- P.E.I. MLAs pass bill to create independent child advocate – Child and Youth Advocate Act passed second and third readings Wednesday (November 20, 2019)

CBC – P.E.I.’s child advocate to gain independence, new office a PCs look to fulfill election pledge – Legislation to be tabled this fall would end years-long political debate over position (November 6, 2019)

Office of the Official Opposition – Official Opposition release recommendations for draft Child and Youth Advocate Act (October 9, 2019)

CBC – Does PEI need an independent child advocate? (January 29, 2019)

CBC – National Council ‘very pleased’ P.E.I. now has child advocate – ‘You have the right person, I believe, in there’ (January 23, 2019)

The Eastern Graphic – Children deserve better than Liberal spin  (January 23, 2019)

CBC – PEI hires long awaited child advocate – Green Party of PEI calls appointment ‘largely disappointing’  (January 18, 2019)

Saltwire Network – UPDATE:  Michele Dorsey named PEI Child and Youth Advocate Officer  (January 18, 2019)

CBC – They would have a voice’: UNICEF representative says PEI needs a child advocate – PEI is the only province without a child advocate (June 9, 2017)

CBC -  PEI names legal aid attorney as first children’s lawyer – Province says new position will ensure ‘voices of children are heard in court’ (May 30, 2017)

CBC – Premier willing to consider child advocate – ‘but first things first’ – Government, Opposition come a little closer in ongoing debate over how to protect Island children (May 5, 2017)

CBC – P.E.I. ‘notably missing’ missing from national child advocate council – Canadian Council of Child and Youth Advocates wants P.E.I. at the table (April 20, 2017)

CBC – How much would a child advocate cost? Asks Green Party Leader (April 19, 2017)

CBC – Child Protection Act recommendations should’ve included child advocate, opposition says – Chair of committee that reviewed act says there is ‘no one answer to improving child protection’ (January 26, 2017)

CBC – Need for P.E.I. child advocate overwhelming, says opposition – Aylward put forward a motion on a child advocate last spring as well (November 23, 2016)

CBC – Children’s lawyer program to over protection in custody disputes – ‘But it doesn’t replace the child advocate’ says opposition of program announced in budget (April 21, 2016)

CBC- P.E.I. government votes against creating child advocate position – Premier goes against recommendation of inquest, says many the services already being provided (April 13, 2016)

CBC- P.E.I. acts on mother-son murder-suicide inquest recommendations – But critics want to see a child advocate in place for P.E.I. – the only province without one (November 19, 2015)

CBC - Premier promises action in light of murder-suicide of mother, 4 year old son – Premier says he’ll act on recommendations from jury into deaths of Nash Campbell and his mother  (June 16, 2015)

CBC - Patricia Hennessey, Nash Campbell inquest yields 15 recommendations - Jury calls for more information sharing, professional training, child advocate for high risk custody cases (March 30, 2015). 

 

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