Earlier, Public Eye told you the ministry of children and family development is hiring a new quality assurance assistant deputy minister. This, after the province's independent child protection watchdog slammed the ministry for not doing enough in the "area of quality assurance." But the government doesn't seem to have made much of an attempt to attract applicants for that job - despite its importance and some steep qualifications. The ministry announced it was looking for applicants on December 21 - the Friday before Christmas. No newspaper advertisements were placed as part of that compeition. And the deadline for applicants closed a little more than two weeks later.

Asked about the matter, children and family development communications manager Corinna Filion stated, "It's not uncommon for postings to be open for a two-week period. One to three weeks for postings is common." But New Democrat critic Nicholas Simons had a different view.

Noting the government wants applicants to have had both "experience at the international level" and "several levels of government," Mr. Simons said, "Most people would jump to the conclusion they’ve got someone in mind already (for the job). I wouldn't necessarily say that's the case. But I would certainly suggest that if they're truly interested in canvassing the community for someone appropriate for this job, two weeks at Christmas time is not adequate."