Former New Brunswick youth advocate, politician, picked as B.C.’s new child rep
VICTORIA — A former New Brunswick politician and the province’s first child advocate is slated to become British Columbia’s new representative for children and youth.
Bernard Richard, 65, has been recommended by an all-party government committee searching to replace Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond who held the post for a decade.
Richard was elected to the New Brunswick legislature as a Liberal from 1991 to 2003, where he held several cabinet posts, including education and aboriginal affairs. He served as the provincial ombudsman and the child and youth advocate after retiring from elected office.
B.C. selection committee chairman Don McRae said Richard’s record of serving children and youth, managing public organizations and working with indigenous communities qualifies him for the position.