Monday, November 20, 2006

2nd Letter to Wally Oppal, Attorney General of British Columbia




November 20, 2006

MR. WALLY OPPAL
Attorney General of B.C.
Room 232
Parliament Buildings
Victoria, BCV8V 1X4
Phone: 250 387-1866
Fax: 250 387-6411

RE: NATHALIE GETTLIFFE; JOSEPHINE GETTLIFFE-GRANT; MAXIMILIEN GETTLIFFE-GRANT AND MARTIN GETTLIFFE-GRUZELLE

Dear Mr. Oppal:

We have not yet received a response from you regarding our letter of November 10, 2006, wherein we advised you of our concerns for Dr.Nathalie Gettliffe and her minor children, as named above.

In this instance, we bring your attention to an incident or incidents that have been reported to us regarding the Alouette Correctional Centre for women in Maple Ridge, British Columbia.
We are told that at least two attempts to strangle Dr. Gettliffe’s infant son, Martin Gruzelle-Gettliffe, have been made by another woman in prison. The infant boy, who is forced into incarceration along with his mother through the orders of the Supreme Court of British Columbia, has been subjected to cruel and unusual treatment, as has his mother, by the Supreme Court orders which deny her bail.

Associates and colleagues have contacted the Office of the Human Rights Commissioner in Geneva, Louise Arbour, as her official intervention appears necessary to bring a halt to the ongoing violation of Dr. Gettliffe and her children’s fundamental human rights.

We remind you that a priest who previously had a criminal conviction for assaulting children continues to have unlimited access to Josephine and Maximilien Gettliffe-Grant at their father’s residence. We are concerned that your office has not taken this situation seriously. In fact, through vicarious intervention, the Crown Counsel of British Columbia appears to
be enabling this ongoing situation.

Does Crown Counsel or your office have evidence that Father Lucien Larre has rehabilitated and that he is no longer a threat to young children?

We hereby inform you that we hold the Attorney General of British Columbia and your office accountable for the safety and well-being of Nathalie Gettliffe and her children, Josephine, Maximilien and Martin, and we now trust that you will intervene in your official capacity to allow Dr. Gettliffe to exit the prison so that she may nurture her infant child in peace and have reasonable access with her two older children.
We further inform you that we hold the Ministry of Children and Family Development.

We would like to know, in writing, what your office intends to do to ensure the safety and welfare of this mother and her young children.

Sincerely,

Lisa Haeck
Canada Children First

Copy to: The Deputy Minister,
Lesley du Toit
Ministry of Children and Family Development
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

Mr. Bruce McNeill
Director of Child Welfare, Fraser Region
British Columbia, Canada
Fax: (604) 586 4153

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