Monday January 15, 2024 | VICTORIA, BC [Updated 4:04 pm]
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
In a mini cabinet shuffle by Premier David Eby this morning, two Victoria-area MLAs have found themselves somewhat bound at the hip in the work of moving the province forward with regard to children and families.
Grace Lore is now Minister of Children and Family Development and Mitzi Dean is now Minister of State for Child Care (moved from Minister of Children and Family Development) within the Education and Child Care Ministry (under Minister Rachna Singh).
The former deputy minister of MCFD Allison Bond has been moved out (she will now be the deputy minister in Social Development and Poverty Reduction).
The new deputy minister for MCFD will be David Galbraith (previously the DM with Social Development and Poverty Reduction).
Clean-up ahead of October 2024 election:
Both Dean and Lore now have stronger and more streamlined launch ramps toward the October 2024 election.
- Mitzi Dean will be preparing to run in her reshaped west shore riding of Esquimalt-Colwood (losing Metchosin from the soon-to-expire Esquimalt-Metchosin but gaining VicWest which is closer to the downtown Victoria core). In the past year, Dean has been garnering broad westshore area support around the various municipalities, including with mayors.
- Grace Lore will be set to run again in Victoria-Beacon Hill. That’s the former long-time stronghold of former BC Finance Minister Carole James.
Benefits of today’s shuffle include that Dean will be able to campaign in the past tense about MCFD (and be less beleagered by problems there) and talk positively about child care initiatives in the province. While it might seem like a demotion for Dean, it will solidify and elevate the importance of child care in society and economy.
On the outside chance that the current Minister of Education and Child Care Rachna Singh is fully petitioned this spring over the SOGI issue (and would need to resign), Mitzi Dean already in the the ECC ministry could see a move up there.
In her fall campaign, Lore will be able to boast promotion to full ministerial responsibility in cabinet.
South Vancouver Island MLAs:
Both Dean and Lore are south Vancouver Island MLAs, first brought into elected politics under former NDP Premier John Horgan based on their work in advocating for families, women and children.
Both have served as Parliamentary Secretary for Gender Equity (Dean was the first in 2017, then Lore from 2020 to 2022 before becoming Minister of State for Child Care in Eby’s December 2022 cabinet shuffle).
Out and about:
Premier Eby appeared with Dean last summer at a funding announcement for Camp Shawnigan.
Lore was at Eby’s first of many 2023 housing announcements, in April in Victoria.
RELATED: See Eby shuffles two women at the top (January 15, 2024).
Island Social Trends has received statements from Mitzi Dean and Grace Lore, who are both already today immersed in briefings about their new portfolios. Media access is expected in the days ahead.
Statement from MITZI DEAN, Minister of State for Child Care:
“Affordable, accessible, good quality child care is vital to families across our province and I’m looking forward to ensuring more parents are able to access the child care they and their families need. Since 2017, we’ve made important progress to strengthen the supports and services children and their families rely on – including groundbreaking legislation that recognizes Indigenous jurisdiction in child welfare and a historic new suite of services for young people leaving care.
“We know there is still a huge amount of work ahead in the Ministry of Children and Family Development to better support young people and keep them safe and I know Grace will be an amazing advocate in her new role.
“In my community and throughout the province, people are facing big challenges right now and we have seen how affordable, accessible, good quality child care can be life-changing for families and critical for businesses, and it shows how the economy can work better for people. It means families can buy healthy food for their kids, or save for their education.
“As a government, we are building local, accessible, good quality and affordable child care, and we must keep going. There are many more families who need access to good quality, accessible and affordable child care and they are counting on us. Having served children and families for over 30 years, I look forward to doing the work to deliver that to them.”
Statement from GRACE LORE, Minister of Children and Family Development:
“There is nothing more important than ensuring every child in B.C. is safe and has the supports they need to thrive. This is an enormous responsibility and I am honoured to accept the role of Minister for Children and Family Development. There is a significant amount of important work that needs to be done and children, youth and families are counting on us.
“The challenges are real and I’m looking forward to working with Premier Eby and partners across the province to strengthen the supports that children and youth need and to reform the child welfare system to ensure that kids are safe.
“We will also continue to implement the changes that recognize the rights of Indigenous communities to provide their own child and family services.
“As a minister in this government, as an advocate for children and families and as a mother, I am determined to do everything I can to ensure the safety and wellbeing of children in British Columbia.”
==== RELATED:
- Eby shuffles two women at the top (January 15, 2024)
- Mitzi Dean was engaged across communities in 2023 (December 29, 2023)
- Ministry of Children & Family Development claims continued progress (July 18, 2023)
- Minister Dean: These children were failed at every level (June 26, 2023)
- Three provincial electoral areas for west shore (April 18, 2023)
- Premier Eby’s cabinet shuffle in December 2022 (December 7, 2022)
===== ABOUT THE WRITER:
Island Social Trends Editor Mary P Brooke, B.Sc., Cert PR, has been covering local and provincial news since 2008 on south Vancouver Island. Her series of publications has been: MapleLine Magazine (2008-2010), Sooke Voice News (2011-2013), West Shore Voice News (2014-2020), and Island Social Trends (mid 2020 to present).
Ms Brooke has been reporting with the BC Legislative Press Gallery since 2022 following daily provincial-level COVID news coverage in 2020-2022. She was nominated for a Jack Webster Foundation journalism award in 2023 for contributing to her community through journalism.
While running her business, Mary P Brooke raised her family of four (now grown) children during 1986-2015 in the Greater Victoria and west shore areas. She ran for school trustee in SD62 in 2022.
She is a long-time advocate for women’s issues in broader society.
In 2024, in addition to launching the biweekly print edition of Island Social Trends, Ms Brooke is now taking local community leadership in urban food resilience.