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November 20, 1997
(Human Resources and Employment)


The following statement was issued today by Julie Bettney, Minister of Human Resources and Employment. It was also read in the House of Assembly:

I rise today to ask Honourable Members to join with me in celebrating National Child Day. Today is a special opportunity for governments, community groups, teachers, parents and children to work together to create environments where all children can grow and develop to their fullest potential. On this day in 1989, the United Nations adopted the convention on the rights of the child. The convention is important because it addresses various aspects in the lives of children and youth.

Children deserve to live in a healthy happy environment. We are working with all of our partners to ensure the children of our province have access to all of the things that will give them a promising start in life.

I am pleased to update Honourable Members on the Provincial School Nutrition Fund, announced one year ago today. Since the program was launched, 20 school nutrition programs received assistance, 10 of which were new programs. Altogether, almost 2,000 children have been fed one nutritious meal on a daily basis as a result of this initiative.

Because of the continued need of children, and the tremendous success of this program, I am pleased to have been able to announce earlier today, that my department will be contributing an additional $125,000 to the Provincial School Nutrition Fund. This will enable more children to have a nutritious meal each day. In making this announcement, I want to acknowledge the efforts of the School Children's Food Foundation, the many volunteers throughout communities and other groups and organizations that have made contributions to this program. I am very pleased to share this information with the members of the House of Assembly today, in observation of National Child Day.

I am very optimistic about the future of programs and services available to young people. In the new year I will be introducing the new Child, Youth and Family Services Bill in the House of Assembly. This new legislation will replace the current Child Welfare Act, enacted in 1944. The new legislation will allow a transition from a crisis based model to one which balances prevention and early intervention with protective services and crisis intervention. A continuum of services for children and families is being developed in partnership with the community.

The National Child Benefit, is another ongoing initiative which will greatly improve the services for our children. In Newfoundland and Labrador, $10-$12 million annually will be earmarked to help children in low income families. With this funding, we will be introducing a number of programs aimed at assisting children and families. Our first priority is child care services. Specifically, my department is looking to expand regulated child care services to include infants ages 0-2.

I want to acknowledge all of the groups and organizations that worked on this year's National Child Day activities. I extend a special thank-you to the Association of Early Childhood Educators of Newfoundland and Labrador, the Canadian Hard of Hearing Association (Newfoundland and Labrador Chapter), Canadian Heritage, the Community Services Council, the City of Mount Pearl Parks and Recreation Department, LISTEN Inc., the Newfoundland and Labrador Human Rights Association, and the Newfoundland and Labrador Teacher's Association.

1997 11 20 2:10 p.m.

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