New family minister promises ‘big changes’
It may be an ‘emotional’ ministry, but MLA says the job is an honour
Katrine Conroy is a mother, a rancher and a former early childhood educator who now takes on one of the most challenging jobs in government — the minister responsible for B.C.’s most vulnerable children.
After two terms in opposition, the Kootenay West NDP MLA is now in charge of the muchmaligned Ministry of Children and Family Development.
Critics argue the ministry, under the former Liberal government, was starved for cash, leading to an over-representation of Indigenous children in the system, a shortage of social workers and a dearth of services for marginalized youth. In recent years, the ministry was rocked by the high-profile deaths of several youth right before or after they aged out of care at 19.
The ministry also had a fractious relationship with the representative for children and youth, an independent advocate who makes recommendations for improvements to the childwelfare system.
Conroy, whose husband Ed was an NDP MLA from 1991 to 2001, spoke to Lori Culbert about how she wants to do things differently. This interview has been edited for length:
Q You have one of the mostimportant — but also one of the most harshly critiqued — ministries. What has prepared you for this file?
A I’m actually an early childhood educator, and I was executive director of a multi-service agency that provided services to children, family and youth, and we had a number of contracts with the ministry, so I’m fairly familiar in that regard with what the ministry does … I’m also a mom; we have four kids and I’ve got nine grandkids. I know what it’s like to raise a family. I also know it is tough to raise kids. We in the past have been fortunate to be able to access the services of the ministry and I’ve always felt very grateful for that.
Q Advocates for years lobbied the former Liberal government to invest more into child-protection services. What would you say to those with high hopes that the NDP will instantly fix this troubled ministry?
A There are a lot of situations (in the ministry) that are just unacceptable, but the reality is we will not be able to change things overnight. We are going to have to take some time. There are a number of areas we need to address and I think that we have to make sure that we do it properly.
Q What are your top priorities?
A The very top priority is to enhance and improve child-protection services, so we will be hiring more social workers., but also to make sure the supports and services are there for Indigenous children. There are far too many Indigenous children in care … One of the things we need to do is look at what kind of supports we can provide to families before the children get into care.
Q Grand Chief Ed John issued a lengthy report in late 2016 with multiple recommendations to improve Indigenous child welfare in B.C. Where do you start to address his recommendations?
A To ensure the delegated Aboriginal agencies have the funding they need, and that’s going to mean funding and supports from us, but also discussions with the federal government to ensure that they are appropriately funding these agencies, too.
Q What is your position on extending support to youth when they age out of foster care at 19?
A This is something that has to be done. From a personal perspective, I have four kids and there wasn’t any of them that were ready at 19 for us to say, ‘See you later,’ and never ever expect to get support from us again … Being responsible for the children in the care of the ministry, we need to ensure those supports are there for kids who aren’t ready to go off on their own. That’s something I’m pushing and working on.
Q Some universities and colleges are waiving tuition for former foster kids, and the premier has asked you to expand this program. Do you see the government becoming more involved financially to boost the tuition waivers?
A In the very near future we are going to be making an announcement … some bi g changes.
Q This government plans to offer enhanced supports to former foster children pursuing advanced education. Could that include money for rent, books and living expenses?
A These are discussions that are ongoing right now and I’m hoping we can make announcements in the near future, and I think it will be beneficial to all kids in care.
Q How many more social workers and support staff need to be hired in B.C., and how will you attract more workers to rural areas?
A We are working on those numbers right now in a number of briefings, and we should have more to say about this in the weeks and months ahead … We are going to have a recruiting package so that we cannot only attract and hire social workers, but actually retain them, so there is not the issue of burnout or leaving.
Q The ministry budget is now about $1.6 billion. By how much will the NDP increase it?
A We are working with the Treasury Board on that and hopefully we will know soon.
Q How do you see your future relationship with watchdog Bernard Richard, the representative for children and youth?
A I’m really looking forward to working with him and he said that he hopes our relationship would be one of “healthy tension,” and I think that is really important. It would be hypocritical of me to not want to work with him because as an opposition we pushed to have this position brought in and I’ve seen all the good that’s come of it. And I look forward to looking at some of the reports that have come from this position and some of the recommendations that haven’t been implemented that we probably should be implementing.
Q Ministers have struggled with this portfolio. How do you think you will deal with the tragic elements of the job?
A I think I’m a pretty strong person, but it is still an emotional ministry. I’ve had a few moments in the last five weeks when it has been very emotional. I attended a healing circle with a number of Indigenous youth in care … but I felt really honoured to be there. I know it is not going to be easy. I know it is a tough ministry, but I also see a lot of opportunity.