Alex had been living alone in an Abbotsford motel for 49 days when he ended his life.

It had been 10 days since he’d seen his caregiver – a man with a questionable record whose $8,000 a month stipend from the provincial government rarely made it out of his own pocket. Alex was hungry, short on clothes, and desperate for emotional support. At the time when he most needed another person to care about him, there wasn’t one.

It’s not hard to understand how Alex’s despair could have felt overwhelming to him. He was failed, at nearly every step in his young life, by the government to whom he’d entrusted his care. Even after his death, they continued to fail him.

When a report about Alex’s life and death was released this past February, it should have been the biggest news story in British Columbia.

Over 71 devastating pages, ‘Broken Promises: The Alex Gervais Story' laid out in detail the many many ways the BC government failed this young man. The BC Liberals, in charge of the government during the entire time Alex was in its care, had an opportunity to apologize, acknowledge their complicitness in this tragedy, and pledge never to allow it to happen again.

Instead, they – including Premier Clark – spent the next several days falsely accusing the BC NDP of hacking their website. It was a very convenient distraction.

“When a child is taken into care for his own protection, it is the responsibility of government to fulfill the role of the ‘prudent parent’. That means meeting the child’s needs for a stable home, nurturing relationships and experiences, enough food, suitable clothing, education, medical care and a meaningful connection to his culture.” - 'Broken Promises: The Alex Gervais Story’

Born to parents with addiction challenges, Alex landed in foster care while very young.

By age 18, he had bounced between 17 different living situations and 23 different caregivers. Like many kinds in care, Alex was sexually assaulted – first by two older children, and later, according to the report, by a caregiver. He reportedly faced physical violence, too – suffering stab wounds to the neck that required a hospital visit. None of these incidents were passed on to police.

Even after a psychiatric assessment suggested Alex needed a stable, long-term living situation, the Ministry continued to move him around, blaming him for his inability to find a place in the world.

Even though proven research shows that foster kids - particularly kids of indigenous descent like Alex – benefit strongly from connections to family and culture, the Ministry made no efforts to connect him with either. While they were willing to pay $3,000 a month to contracted companies to care for Alex, they offered his aunt just $700 a month to do the same.

Evan as he faced aging out of care, they made no effort to help Alex build a better future. Like so many times during his childhood, he was left to fend for himself. On September 18, 2015, he chose to escape it all.

The most shocking part of Alex’s story is that he isn’t the only young victim of this government’s neglect.

Far from it. Under the BC Liberals, 120 kids in care have lost their lives.

Think about that number for a moment. That’s four classrooms worth of kids. Two transit buses of lives lost. It’s a staggering number that should appall and horrify you. Because it is both appalling and horrifying.

The plight of troubled kids like Alex Gervais should keep government officials up at night, thinking about how they can do right by them. Instead, Christy Clark’s BC Liberals have shown that they will say and do anything to avoid accepting responsibility or apologizing for their actions. They did this to Roderick MacIsaac and his family. To Nick Lang’s family. To Alex Gervais.

While nothing can bring these young men back, or erase the damage done to their families, there is one thing we can do in their honour.

On May 9, we can come together – for all the kids and parents and friends and caregivers and people forgotten and ignored by this Premier and her party – and vote for a change in government. Because for Alex and so many other kids in care, this should not be as good as it gets.