Premier, minister under fire over latest revelations in Serenity case

Children's Services Minister Danielle Larivee and Premier Rachel Notley faced scathing questions from the opposition in the legislature Tuesday after the CBC revealed six children still live in same home where four-year-old Serenity suffered fatal injuries in 2014.

The case has made headlines for months. Opposition MLAs said they were stunned to learn that two infants, two young children in elementary school and two teenagers under 18 still live with Serenity's one-time foster parents, while an activeRCMPinvestigation continues.

• 'God only knows': Serenity's mother concerned about children living in former foster home
• 'It's shocking': Opposition asks why children are still living in Serenity foster home

"This government is sitting on its hands while children are in serious danger in Alberta," saidWildroseLeader Brian Jean.

"This scenario isn't something from the past. These children right now are living in these conditions. We keep asking for action and answers. What is the premier doing to protect the other children in this house and prevent another possible murder?"

'That is deeply irresponsible'

Notleycautioned Jean about what she called his "inflammatory" comments.

"I would suggest that that is deeply irresponsible," Notley said, "to the families, to the children, and the community in which this tragedy occurred."

No charges have been laid in Serenity's death.TheRCMPwill only say they are "still waiting for an outcome" on the investigation.

But Jean did not back off, and instead turned up the heat.

"This government is totally irresponsible," he shouted. "Two years after her death, the RCMP continue to investigate the probable murder of Serenity in the home of her caregivers. While we've been asking for answers on the death of Serenity, we don't know if the other six children in that home are even safe today."

Notley told the legislature the children who remain in the home are not in government care but children services staff are monitoring them closely.

"It is the policy of this government that we are following that we never place children in care into a setting where there is a criminal investigation involved," she told the legislature.

"However, we do not take the biological children away from families where there is a criminal investigation involved. Instead, what we do is we monitor the matter very, very closely. That's what's happening in the case here."

'It's incompetent ... it's uncaring'

Calgary-Hays MLA Ric McIver, leader of the PCs in the legislature, called on Notley and Larivee to resign.

"The opposition has cut the government quite a bit of slack, because they said they cared about Serenity and they cared about children in care and they wanted to make improvements," he told reporters before question period.

"But when the minister, whose sole job is to look after children in care, has left kids in this house, and the premier, who knows what happened to Serenity, has left children under her charge in that same house, it's inexcusable. It's incompetent. It's uncaring."

Prior to question period, Larivee told reporters that her department follows up whenever there is an allegation of abuse or neglect.

"If there were safety concerns, (the children) would have been removed from the home," she said.

When asked by CBC whether a criminal investigation into the type of abuse and starvation endured by Serenity was enough to remove children from the home, Larivee repeated her talking point.

"There's a current criminal investigation into that situation. But there certainly to date hasn't been any indication, safety concern for the individual children."

CBC News asked the government how often the children were being monitored and why they haven't attended school since October, as reported by a source.

A government spokeswoman said privacy legislation prevents them from providing answers to those questions.

When Serenity died in September 2014 of a traumatic brain injury, she weighed only 18 pounds. Her skull was fractured and her body was covered in lacerations and purple contusions. Her body also showed signs of sexual assault.