Wildrose calls on minister to resign after report on Serenity’s death not given to RCMP

Emma Graney
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The official opposition has called for the resignation of Human Services Minister Irfan Sabir, after revelations his department failed to give the RCMP an internal report about the death of a four-year-old child in government care.

Wildrose House Leader Nathan Cooper called the oversight “unbelievable.”

“We’re shocked, we’re appalled,” Cooper told Postmedia Wednesday night.

Sabir and the NDP government have faced repeated questions over the past three weeks about what actions the government and ministry have taken to improve child services, and why criminal charges have not been laid in the death of four-year-old Serenity. There was even an emergency debate on the matter.

On Wednesday night, Sabir told Edmonton Journal columnist Paula Simons that his department had not handed over a vital report to the RCMP until this week.

He called the oversight “an unfortunate error” and took responsibility for the failure.

On Wednesday night at the legislative building, Sabir refused to comment to Postmedia on calls for his resignation, saying only, “I’m on my phone,” and walking past to start his car.

He ignored further questions.

Cooper said Sabir has let down Serenity and her family, and called for the minister’s resignation and that of Justice Minister Kathleen Ganley.

Serenity was four years old when she died in September 2014 after a traumatic head injury. She was also suffering from serious hypothermia, catastrophic malnutrition, and anal and genital bruising. A year before, she had been of normal body weight. When she arrived at hospital, she weighed just 18 pounds, the typical weight for a nine-month-old baby.

Cooper said it’s “unbelievable” that Ganley and Sabir didn’t know the details on the file and what had been done, particularly after repeated questioning.

More importantly, he said, they didn’t do anything when they were asked about the case.

“They didn’t go back to their departments and say, ‘Hey, what’s going on? What are they waiting on?’” Cooper said.

“Seemingly no-one has been following up on an issue of absolute critical importance to Canadans, to Serenity, to her family. It is appalling.

“Members of cabinet should be disgusted at what’s happened.”