November 4, 2014

Mr. Granville Anderson
Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister
Ministry of Children and Youth Services
15th Floor, 56 Wellesley Street West
Toronto, Ontario
M5S 2S3

Dear Mr. Anderson:

It is an honour and a pleasure to have you as my Parliamentary Assistant. I would like to take this opportunity to welcome you to the Ministry of Children and Youth Services and to outline some of the important work that lies ahead of us.

As you know, our government has a plan to invest in the talent and skills of our people, build modern infrastructure, support a dynamic and innovative business climate, and provide better retirement security to people across the province. At the heart of this plan are partnerships with businesses, people and communities, which will help our government grow the economy, create jobs and implement solutions that have a meaningful impact on people’s lives.

This balanced and comprehensive plan is underpinned by a focus on fiscal prudence. The mandate letter I received last month from Premier Wynne reinforced our government’s commitment to balance the budget by 2017-18 and to pursue increased openness, accountability and modernization.

Parliamentary Assistants play a key role in delivering these priorities and have a responsibility to put our government’s plan into action.

Our role is to ensure that every child in Ontario has the best possible start in life and has access to the right supports and opportunities needed to make positive choices, reach their full potential and seamlessly transition to adulthood.

As Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Children and Youth Services, your specific responsibilities include:

  • Engaging with families, and as appropriate with affected youth, to listen to the challenges they face, and what they believe is required to better meet their needs in the development of a provincial Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder strategy.‎
  • As we undertake the five year review of the Child and Family Services Act, you will support our efforts to engage with families and stakeholders and carry responsibility for representing the Ministry in the Legislature, should we identify and introduce any proposed amendments to legislation.

I am confident that together, working in collaboration with our partners in the public, private and not-for-profit sectors, we can deliver on our commitment to the people we are privileged to represent and serve. I look forward to working with you to deliver our ministry’s mandate, build Ontario up — and help achieve a brighter future for every person in this province.

Sincerely,

Original signed by

The Honourable Tracy MacCharles
Minister of Children and Youth Services