VICTORIA (NEWS1130) – BC’s child watchdog says vulnerable kids are at risk, so it’s not a good idea for the premier to replace her minister of children and family development.

Christy Clark replaced Mary McNeil with Stephanie Cadieux when she shuffled the cabinet yesterday. Children’s Advocate Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond thinks that could be a mistake.

“Politics is politics, but I was hoping we would put families first here and we wouldn’t play politics with [the ministry of children and family development],” says Turpel-Lafond.

“I recall when Gordon Campbell was premier and went into an election and [former Minister of Children and Family Development Minister] Tom Christensen was not running again, they allowed him to serve out his term through to the election. That was perhaps a shorter period of time, but I hoped against all odds that perhaps Minister Mary McNeil would be retained in this role because she has worked so hard and has climbed that steep learning curve.”

The move comes a little over a month after Turpel-Lafond put out a public warning about the BC government’s new $182-million computer system. She says social workers don’t have access to critical information they need about children and young lives could be at stake.

“We have a very demoralized staff that has been given an instrument that doesn’t work for them to meet the needs of children and it’s a bit of a crisis,” claims Turpel-Lafond.

“A minister that pledged to be on top of it has exited and we have a new minister. So, where does that leave us? I’d say it leaves us with a bit more instability, so this new minister is going to have to give some public reassurance very quickly on where she stands.”

Turpel-Lafond has worked with Cadieux on issues concerning children with disabilities in the past. She says she’s confident Cadieux will do her best to get on top of the problems she inherits with the new portfolio.