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That bill passed unanimously. So did a 2015 bill strengthening the advocate’s mandate.

MacLeod’s enthusiasm did not wane when she took on the child services portfolio under Premier Doug Ford. “I’ve loved working with you for the past 10 years,” she tweeted at Elman in September. “I am excited to now be Minister so we can bring in some long-awaited changes!”

MacLeod was unavailable for an interview on Friday, but it seems safe to say these weren’t the changes she was looking for.

Photo by Tony Caldwell

The agency spent $10.6 million in 2017. But finance minister Vic Fedeli wouldn’t even confirm the move will save taxpayers any money. The advocate’s responsibilities aren’t being eliminated, after all; they’re being transferred, in theory, to the provincial ombudsman.

That might fit the Tories’ “efficiencies” narrative, but an advocate isn’t the same thing as an ombudsman. “It outrages me that we’ve removed somebody who (people) can call who will stand beside them,” says Elman — “not an ombudsman, who’s going to look at both sides and decide whether the policy was adhered to properly, but somebody is going to stand beside that parent and be with them, or beside that child in the group home and say, ‘We’ve got you.’”

The advocate does all kinds of outreach work, encouraging kids to empower themselves and others to speak up for their rights. Children in care are entitled to call an advocate immediately, and they are required to be told that. The advocate’s office fielded 2,146 calls last year for case consultation and dispute resolution; in the latter case nearly half were in the child welfare system.