SHOCK AND DISMAY!

I simply could not believe my eyes on Saturday morning when I opened The Hamilton Spectator and read the headlines "LIBERALS ABANDON KEVIN AND JARED'S BILL".  This is  (was) the bill that would require an coroners inquest when a child dies when he/she is in the care of a parent who has been under a supervised parental access order.

In spite all the work done by the families of the murdered children, 60,000 signatures on a petition and a WRITTEN promise from Government House Leader Jim Bradley that the bill would be tabled, the bill has been tossed aside like so much garbage.

Dave Levac, the Liberal party whip and MPP for Brant (where Jared lived and died) told The Spectator that the Ministry of the Attorney General did not want the victims' funds paying for inquest lawyers.  Furthermore Levac stated that the government wanted an amendment to the bill that would require an investigation to determine if an inquest is needed and another amendment that would make the leglisation apply apply to both supervised and unsupervised visits.

Cam Jackson, the architect of Bill 89 points out correctly that an investigation as outlined in the amendment is exactly how the system works now.  But the decision is left to the Coroner under present law whether or not an inquest will go forward.  Bill 89 would have changed that.  Jackson says he has already agreed to amend the bill to include both types of visits.

So then it appears that it all boils down to money.  Imagine that!  At least two children murdered and the Government is worried about money! How many more deaths will it take before this situation is rectified. 

This is a totally unacceptable decision on the part of the Liberal Government.  I urge everyone who cares about children to contact their local MPP and demand reconsideration.  And let's write some letters to the papers and tell them how we feel.

Cam Jackson says, "This all boils down to the Attorney General.  Michael Bryant does not want to open up the compensation fund to these victims of crime".   Well then don't open it up to bereaved families.  Make that a condition of the bill. I don't believe the families want compensation.

What they want is a law to protect those who can least protect themselves and a law that is passed before another tragedy takes place.

Surely our well-paid leglislators owe that to the citizens of Ontario.

Comments

[Annette]

It's sad to think the Craven Family had to water the lawn of Queen's Park with their tears in order to shame McGuinty into keeping his promise to keep Ontario's children out of the unsupervised care of negligent and abusive parents.

Although Bill 89 UNANIMOUSLY PASSED in Queen's Park Tues Afternoon, I hope the Craven and Latimer families don't have to do any further 'groundskeeping' in order to see the Bill receive Royal Assent and become a long-overdue law.

To read more or sign petition, visit Jared's homepage: http://groups.msn.com/JaredsLaw