Manitoba Liberals are calling on the PC Government to review all foster parents after child welfare authorities left two girls in the custody of a foster father who allegedly has a history of sexually exploiting children in his care. Liberal Families Critic and MLA for Kewatinook, Judy Klassen, has repeatedly called on the government to do a better job of vetting foster parents.
In December, the Manitoba Children’s Advocate released a report that warned that hundreds of children in care in Manitoba are being sexually exploited.
A recently released report into sexually exploited youth, “Collaboration and Best Practices to End Sexual Exploitation and Sex Trafficking in Manitoba” is an indictment of years of failure by the Manitoba Government to even measure whether any of the governments’ programs were working.
This is a serious problem that the Province has known about for years and it requires participation from all three levels of government. We need more training, stabilization units, and enforcement to make a meaningful change.
CBC MANITOBA: Children's advocate launches serious injury investigation into foster father sex abuse case
FAILURE TO LAUNCH - METH TASK FORCE
The Pallister Government’s inability to work well with others is keeping a Meth Task Force from getting off the ground.
The City of Winnipeg, Province of Manitoba, and the Federal Government announced a task force to battle Manitoba’s meth crisis on December 18. More than a month later, its members haven’t been chosen, much less started to do any work.
According to a government source all three levels of government have met to discuss possible task force members, but a decision could not be made because the Pallister government is trying to politicize the task force.
The task force was announced in December of 2018 which means the group now only has five months to select members and produce its report by the June deadline.
We have a PC Government that for over a year now has refused to even admit that we have a crisis on our hands.
Addictions advocates, front-line workers, and families have all been calling on the government to act. We now have Crime Stoppers joining the chorus of concerned Manitobans saying we have a major crisis on our hands.

WINNIPEG SUN: Crime Stoppers doubling cash awards for tips on meth
EMPLOYMENT AND INCOME ASSISTANCE
The number of Manitobans on Employment and Income Assistance (EIA) has hit an all-time high of over seventy thousand people.
According to annual reports from the Province’s Department of Families, the number of people on EIA has been growing for ten years and hit 71,977 in 2017-2018. That is up by nearly 20% from 2009-10 when there were 58,874 people on EIA in Manitoba.
To make matters worse, the PCs and NDP alike have run an EIA system defined by neglect that has failed for a generation.
In 1992-93, the PC Government introduced punishing welfare reforms that rolled back some rates to 1986 levels and froze them there. The same policies and rates have stayed on the books under PC and NDP governments for years.
New Freedom of Information (FIPPA) numbers show that people with disabilities, mental illness, parents with children and others who fall into poverty may have seen virtually no increase in provincial benefits in 30 years.
We need to overhaul EIA so that people can live in dignity, get training and work, but we also need to create better jobs for everyone, because there have to be jobs to apply for.

WINNIPEG SUN: Liberals say income assistance program doesn't do enough to ‘lift people from poverty’
MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES FOR FAMILIES
Families that live outside the Perimeter Highway are struggling to find mental health support services.
What’s making matters worse is the Manitoba Adolescent Treatment Centre (MATC), a provincially funded mental health treatment facility, is turning away families that don’t live in Winnipeg.
The provincial government needs to make mental health care for children and young people a major priority. Too many families are struggling and barely able to keep their heads above water while caring for kids.
WINNIPEG FREE PRESS: City mental-health facility refuses rural families
https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/city-mental-health-facility-refuses-rural-families-505165322.html
"It’s absolutely unbelievable to me. The M (in MATC) is for Manitoba, right? They have an obligation as part of their mandate to treat people from all over," said Dougald Lamont.

Please join us on Saturday, February 28th for a Scotch Tasting Fundraiser.
Sample a variety of Scotches and support the Manitoba Liberals!
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
The St. Boniface constituency office is a host site for the CRA Community Volunteer Income Tax Program.
We’re looking for volunteers to assist with simple tax returns for low income people. No experience is required; online training will be provided. We’re looking for commitments of weekly shifts (daytime or evening) for the months of March and April.
Please contact Julia at info@dougaldlamont.ca if you have any questions or would like to sign up.
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