Past due: a plan for children and youth in Canada
Canada needs a plan for children and young people that recognizes them not as a discreet policy issue, but as an investment in our collective future. Bill S-212, the proposed National Strategy for Children and Youth, offers an opportunity to put children at the centre of Canada’s nation-building agenda.
The case for action is clear. Across key measures of health, well-being and life outcomes, children and youth in Canada are falling behind their peers. UNICEF’s latest child well-being report ranks Canada 22nd out of 37 comparable countries, far from where we should be.
Behind these rankings are the realities facing children and families across the country. Nearly one in five children lives in poverty, and 80 per cent of respondents from UNICEF Canada’s youth polling platform say that income inequality creates barriers to full participation or success.
On the health front, one in four young people struggle with mental health challenges, and one in five lives with a chronic illness. Approximately one in 10 children and youth has no primary care provider, and, in most cases, children wait longer for essential health care than adults do. For children growing up in lower-income households and marginalized communities, the picture is more troubling.
These are not outcomes that policymakers or Canadians should accept.
Investing in children improves their health and societal outcomes, strengthens learning, eases pressure on families, and delivers long-term economic and social returns. Health modelling commissioned by Children’s Healthcare Canada shows that every dollar invested in children's healthcare can yield up to a five-fold return.
A national strategy for children and youth would provide a framework for addressing these challenges in a co-ordinated and accountable way. More importantly, it would signal that Canada is prepared to make a long-term commitment to the people who will ultimately shape our country’s future success. If we want a stronger, more prosperous, and more resilient nation, we must start by investing in children. Bill S-212, which is currently before the House of Commons, provides a timely opportunity to do exactly that.
The conditions children experience today shape not only their individual futures, but also the long-term prosperity, resilience, and social cohesion of the country they will inherit. As Canada navigates economic uncertainty, demographic change, and growing global instability, strengthening our strategic capacity at home must begin with investing in the foundations of human development. Few investments yield greater returns than ensuring children have the health, skills, and support they need to thrive.
The future of this country will be shaped not only by the challenges we face today, but how we invest in the children who will inherit them. Parliament must move swiftly to pass Bill S-212.
Emily Gruenwoldt is CEO of Children’s Healthcare Canada whose members include children's hospitals, health centres, and regional pediatric programs. Sevaun Palvetzian is president and CEO of UNICEF Canada.
The Hill Times