Provincial NDP leader Carole James says minister of children and family development Tom Christensen has some "explaining" to do.

This, following yesterday's report by 24 hours that the province's independent children and youth watchdog concluded last year that the ministry's top bureaucrat had abandoned the Hughes Review recommendations.

The recommendations were made by former conflict of interest commissioner Ted Hughes to improve the province's child-protection system following the tragic death of toddler Sherry Charlie.

In a letter sent July 19, 2007, children and youth representative Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond said her understanding was the ministry's top bureaucrat believed "many of the recommendations were not possible to achieve" because the Hughes Review was "informed by ideas which are entrenched in an old system."

Asked about the matter, James said, "What it points out to me is that the minister has some explaining to do. I remember the premier and the minister standing up in the Legislature saying they were going to fully implement the Hughes Review recommendations."

"So if that's not occurring in the ministry," she continued. "It's the job of government and the minister to stand up and inform the public and explain that to the public. And I certainly haven't seen that."

Sean Holman reports for 24 hours and edits Public Eye Online.