[Dion]

Irfan Sabir won't resign, says he's 'absolutely' done a good job, launches child death review panel

Nor will he assign blame for the two-year delay in getting the girl’s case to police, he said Thursday as he announced an all-party panel to investigate the child intervention system.

“I won’t step down because it’s important work, I have an important job to do,” Sabir told reporters.

“Here is the action plan — that’s how we move forward to make sure we have proper safeguards in place. We have supports in place for families so we can avoid similar incidents from happening.”

Sabir wouldn’t say if anyone will lose their job over the Serenity case, repeating only that the panel, of which he will be an ex officio member, will be “finding solutions” to safeguard children in government care.

On Wednesday night, Sabir told Edmonton Journal columnist Paula Simons that his department had not given an internal case file about Serenity to the RCMP until this week.

That file was supposed to go to the RCMP in 2015, but instead police had to reach out to the department for the information.

RCMP Insp. Gibson Glavin confirmed Thursday the RCMP received a link to Serenity’s case file on Nov. 22 this year, but it was in a format police were unable to open.

They eventually accessed the information Dec. 6.

While the police awaited the files, Glavin said officers continued to investigate other areas of the case.

In Question Period Thursday, Sabir said Simons “did not have all the facts.”

But when he was given the chance to explain himself late Wednesday night, three hours after Simons’ story broke and the Opposition first demanded his resignation, Sabir refused to speak with Postmedia at the legislative building. Nor did his staff respond to multiple requests for information on the phone, via email and text message.

Wildrose Leader Brian Jean said Sabir’s handling of the file was an example of “sheer incompetence.”

He called repeatedly for Sabir’s resignation Thursday, and said it was “ridiculous” that the minister will not assign blame in the death of a child.

“I expect the premier to demand his resignation, as is fitting,” Jean said.

That didn’t happen.

Instead, deputy premier Sarah Hoffman told the house her caucus has complete confidence in Sabir and Justice Minister Kathleen Ganley.

Ganley told Postmedia Thursday morning she was confident she, as a minister, did enough to follow up on the Serenity file.

There were some communication issues between the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner and the Child and Youth Advocate, she said, but those processes will be changed.

http://edmontonjournal.com/news/poli...vention-system