An open letter to the Honourable Cristy Clark, Premier of British Columbia, and the Honourable Philippe Couillard, Premier of Quebec The funeral service for Alex Decarie-Gervais came and went on Saturday 3 October 2015. Over the next few days, the impromptu memorial of flowers and other items at the site of his death will be removed by city crews, to be discarded into a dumpster and forgotten. You and your colleagues will return to your lives, untouched and unscathed by Alex’ death. After all, Alex was just one kid with mental health issues and drug addiction. Politically speaking, people’s memories are short about things that do not directly affect them; so, there is no doubt that your political career will withstand this minor blip. After all, you have more important things to think about – international trade, agriculture, finance, natural resources, justice, business and so much more. Of what importance is one life amidst all of the issues that you and your colleagues have on your daily agenda and that need your attention and governance. Despite how busy you are with all of these pressing concerns, we – the grieving family and friends – would like to share with you the conversation that we would have with Alex if he were still among us. Perhaps this will share some light on the devastation that is caused by the loss of one seemingly insignificant life. Dear Alex: We failed you, Alex. We failed you as a family by not fighting more vigorously against a system that is ineffective, inefficient and more concerned with bureaucratic survival than with what is right and just for a human being – no matter how young. The government in two provinces – Quebec and BC -- failed you, by creating laws that favour parental rights and bureaucratic authority over victim’s rights and needs. The court in at least one province failed you by upholding these unfair laws and knowingly placing you in danger by returning you to the custody of what was no more than a sperm donor – despite the fact that the court knew about the abuse inflicted upon you. That was the turning point. That was when you essentially became a lamb to slaughter. From that point until the moment of your death, you remained a pawn in a system that places no true value on the life of a child. Regrettably, yours is not a solitary story. Over the course of your mere 18 years, you spent most of your life was spent in child “protective” services (and, we use the term loosely) and the “system” failed you. You reportedly moved homes 16 times, which did not offer you much in the way of stability. There are reports of your having been pushed down cement stairs, locked in an outdoor building as punishment and other atrocities. You shared your experience with friends close to you – including your claims that you were sexually abused. Was any concrete action taken? Did any of the social workers take the time to listen to you? to investigate your claims? … or, were you simply shuffled to another location to silence you? Were other children placed in that same environment after you? Are they still there? As things now stand, we will never know the answer to those questions. What we do know is that -- if you eventually ended up with the psychological issues that child “protective” services claim -- it should not have come as any surprise since they failed to protect you as they were legally and ethically obliged to do. Alex, it is important for you to know that we did care, but we often lost track of you in the infamous bureaucratic system. We sent you presents that, more often than not, you did not receive; those you did receive were often stolen from you and no one helped you to recover them. Your short life, Alex, was fraught with physical, sexual and psychological pain, permitted to be inflicted upon you by the same people who were supposed to be protecting you. But, there is no going back. Your living, breathing being that was known to those around you as Alex cannot be restored. Our hope, at this point in time, is that your death will not have been in vain. Our hope is that the children who come after you will face a brighter future because of your sacrifice. And so we return to you, Premier Clark. The system is broken – not only in British Columbia, but throughout Canada. We implore you to take action to save other young lives from the same fate as Alex. To that end, we request the following as a “minimum”: That an independent enquiry be conducted – one that is arm’s length from the government; That the enquiry include a review of the decisions made in Quebec as well as in BC; That the enquiry be well advertised so that persons who previously experienced child protective services are encouraged to participate; That children of all ages currently in the system be given the opportunity to contribute to the enquiry – preferably with the assistance of non-agency personnel; That parents, families and friends of children currently in, or who have been, in child protective services be invited to participate; That social workers be polled “confidentially” to obtain details about what they view as being wrong with “the system”; That participation of both affected and of interested parties be available by means other than face-to-face interviews – including but not limited to, on-line questionnaires, mail in questionnaires, telephone messages, etc; That, in the interim, more credence be given to a child’s claims and investigated – even if that investigation requires additional funds to hire an outside source; That the files of social workers who were dismissed or transferred or disciplined in some form be made accessible to the enquiry. In short, steps must be taken to fix-the-system across Canada. Funding must be found. All provinces and territories must participate in finding a viable, cross-Canada solution. If children are truly the future, then their well-being must be uppermost within our so-called “civilized” society. The loss of Alex cannot be dismissed as the death of just one more half-breed aboriginal child. Premier -- We look forward to your response. The family and friends of Alex – Gone, but not forgotten (photo)