Minister Cadieux delivers statement – photo 250News

Prince George, B.C. –  The Minister of Children and Family, Stephanie Cadieux,  has confirmed that Edward Berry  was employed  by the Ministry.

The CBC  broke the story this morning, that Berry, a  former manager with the Ministry of Children and Family Development,  is facing a charge of possession of child pornography.

According to the CBC, the offence is alleged to have occurred  in April of  2014  in or near Prince George.

Court documents indicate Berry is facing two counts of  possession of child pornography and one count of accessing  child pornography.

“The nature of those charges are deeply concerning” says Minister Cadieux  who then read a prepared statement.  “While I cannot speak to the specifics of the circumstances, what I can say  is that we take  this very  seriously and MCFD  is cooperating with Police.  Our number one priority is always and continues to be to protect and support youth and families.  I want to assure the public that the Ministry sets a high standard when it s hiring staff and requires criminal record checks for anyone that who will have direct service contact with children and families.  As well, all staff must abide by standards of conduct set by the public service. As this criminal matter involving a former employee is now before the courts, I cannot say anything further at this time.”

Berry is scheduled to appear in Prince George  court  on January 28^th.