Hon. Chantal Petitclerc: Honourable senators, I’d like to speak briefly in support of Bill S-282, An Act respecting a national strategy for children and youth in Canada. The bill defines the principles and framework that the federal government will use to develop a comprehensive action plan. I thank Senator Moodie for introducing it and for her ongoing contribution to improving our children’s quality of life as a pediatrician, a neonatologist and, now, a parliamentarian.

[English]

Colleagues, Canada is indeed a big country. From the busy streets of Montreal or Toronto to the serene landscapes of British Columbia — from coast to coast to coast — lies our greatest treasure: our children and youth, who are vulnerable and need to be treated as a priority.

This bill, as stated in its preamble, reminds us that despite all the love and care we have for them, we do not yet have, as a country, a clear vision or objectives for their well-being.

[Translation]

Despite numerous investments, the most recent of which is the National School Food Program, we’re not taking care of our children as well as we think. In this speech, I’d like to highlight a number of aspects that I believe must be part of any action plan if we want to see real change.

It’s well known and well documented that too many children still live in poverty. In addition, children and young people’s mental health leaves much to be desired. A 2023 study by the Conference Board of Canada and Children’s Healthcare Canada, a pan-Canadian children’s health advocacy organization, found that some 1.6 million Canadian children and adolescents suffer from mental disorders. What’s more, tens of thousands of them are waiting months, even years, for adequate treatment.

Far too many Canadians between the ages of 5 and 17 are overweight or obese. They’re not moving enough. We know this. The national grade for physical activity in the 2024 ParticipACTION Report Card is just D+.

Only 39% of 5- to 17-year-olds met the recommendation, which is to log 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity per day.

[English]

Children’s Healthcare Canada released a report in May 2004 that found that overall child health outcomes in Canada are deteriorating year after year. This organization is categoric:

 . . . our historically siloed, patchwork approach to tackling the complex health and social needs of children, youth and families is failing kids, their healthcare providers, and quite frankly, the future of our country.

[Translation]

We all want our children to grow up under the best possible conditions, whether they come from a low- or high-income household. These days, it’s hard to know how to make this happen, what resources are adequate to the task, what outcomes are to be expected and what quantifiable indicators are needed to evaluate those outcomes.

[English]

It is possible to fill this gap. Senator Moodie’s intention through her bill is to bring us back to our responsibility as stewards of their future, to ensure that every child in Canada is afforded the opportunity to thrive, to grow and to flourish.

[Translation]

On that score, the bill is clear: The proposed strategy has to be rooted in the principle of inclusivity. All children, regardless of their socio-economic background, ethnicity or place of birth, deserve access to the same opportunities and resources needed for them to thrive and grow.

[English]

Education is at the core of any effort to promote children’s well-being. As the great Nelson Mandela once said, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” We must invest in our educational systems, ensuring they are equipped to nurture the talents and aspirations of every child. This includes fostering a culture of creativity, critical thinking and compassion, empowering our youth to become active participants in shaping a better tomorrow.

[Translation]

I’m confident that the proposed strategy will enable us to value the interconnecting factors that influence a child’s well-being. To focus exclusively on their physical health or academic success is not enough. Social, emotional and psychological factors also require consideration.

Of course, no child or youth well-being strategy would be complete without considering their safety and protection.

We have to confront the cruel realities of child abuse, neglect and exploitation, while working tirelessly to create a society where every child feels safe, valued and loved. This requires strong laws and adequate social services, as well as a cultural shift that puts the well-being of children first. We know that Indigenous children face many challenges.

[English]

According to Children First Canada’s Raising Canada 2023 report:

It is well established that First Nation, Métis, and Inuit youth are more likely to experience poorer mental health outcomes than their non-Indigenous counterparts . . . .

[Translation]

They are at greater risk of living in poverty than any other children in Canada. Let’s not forget that 53.8% of children in foster care are Indigenous, even though they represent only 7.7% of the country’s child population.

[English]

In crafting a Canadian strategy for children and youth, we must engage with Indigenous communities in a spirit of partnership and reconciliation. For too long, Indigenous children have faced systemic barriers to their well-being, stemming from a legacy of colonization and marginalization. It is imperative that we listen to their voices, honour their traditions and work together toward a future where every Indigenous child can thrive within their own cultural context.

Furthermore, in our quest for the well-being of children and youth, it will be important for us to recognize and address the unique needs of children and youth with disabilities. There are about 850,000 in Canada, and these children are often neglected or marginalized by society, and their voices too often silenced by stereotypes and ignorance.

[Translation]

Children with disabilities face a multitude of challenges in their daily lives, ranging from physical barriers to social stigma. However, it’s not their disabilities that define them, but rather their resilience, strength and unlimited potential. As a society, we have a moral obligation to ensure that every child, regardless of ability, has the opportunity to thrive and succeed.

This begins with access to education, health care and support services tailored to the unique needs of children with disabilities. This means investing in inclusive classrooms, where all children are valued for their contributions and are equipped with the tools they need to reach their full potential. It also means ensuring that our health care system is equipped to provide specialized care and support to children with disabilities and their families.

Beyond access to services, we also need to confront the attitudes and prejudices that too often limit the opportunities available to children with disabilities. We need to challenge the stereotypes that still portray them as “less capable.”

What’s more, we need to equip children with disabilities to become active participants in their own lives and advocate for their rights and needs. That means providing them with the tools and resources they need to express themselves, make decisions and pursue their dreams. It means fostering a sense of self-confidence and self-esteem that will make all the difference for these kids.

By doing so, we’ll not only help children with disabilities achieve more, but also enrich society as a whole, because diversity is not a weakness to be overcome, but a strength to be celebrated. When we embrace each child’s unique abilities and perspectives, we open up all kinds of opportunities and possibilities for them.

In closing, honourable senators, as we chart our course toward a national strategy for children and youth, let’s remember the words of the great disability rights activist, Helen Keller, who said, “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.”

Together, then, let’s build a Canada where every child, regardless of ability, has the opportunity to thrive, succeed and aim high. Thank you. Meegwetch.

Hon. Jane Cordy: Honourable senators, I rise today to speak at second reading in support of Bill S-282, An Act respecting a national strategy for children and youth in Canada. I would also like to acknowledge Senator Moodie and her tireless efforts in advocating for the protection of Canadian children and youth, whether in her life as a pediatrician or with this bill and her previous attempts to establish an office of the commissioner for children and youth in Canada.

Honourable senators, Bill S-282 is a natural extension of the government’s commitment to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, which was adopted by the UN General Assembly in November 1989 and ratified by Canada in December 1991. The Convention on the Rights of the Child is the most ratified United Nations treaty to date. Almost 200 nations have signed on.

It is unfortunate that it is now 25 years since the adoption of the resolution, and a national Canadian strategy may now need to be established to meet our commitments under the treaty. That’s not to say the federal government has been idle. In 1989, with all-party support, Parliament pledged to end child poverty in Canada by the year 2000. Unfortunately, they had to renew this pledge in 2009 and then again in 2015.

Earlier this year, we amended and passed in this place Bill C-35, an act respecting early learning and child care in Canada, which set out the Government of Canada’s commitment to maintaining long-term funding relating to early learning and child care across Canada and created the National Advisory Council on Early Learning and Child Care.

More recently, we saw the federal government commit $1 billion to support school meal programs across the country to provide meals to vulnerable students to help meet their nutritional needs.

The child care agreements and the food program support are excellent examples of the government recognizing and addressing specific gaps in child and youth needs in Canada. However, what seems to be missing and what Bill S-282 aims to accomplish is to have the government consider a more holistic approach when it comes to investing in the well-being and growth of Canada’s children and youth.

Bill S-282 proposes to establish a national strategy that would facilitate collaboration across jurisdictions to meet the needs of Canadian children and youth and to ensure their right to a standard of living adequate for their physical, mental, spiritual and social development.

We have a challenging task ahead of us. After several years of a pandemic — which was very hard on families, especially on children — with armed conflicts around the world and unprecedented global population displacement, the plight of children’s rights worldwide has deteriorated significantly over a short period of time. Reversing these trends will take time and hard work.

In the 2023 KidsRights Index report, it was stated:

These events, alongside others, have resulted in the loss of lives, denial of basic rights, unfulfilled needs, a limiting of potential, and an increase in poverty levels, which are affecting children in every country across the world and will continue to do so for generations.

They also found that one in four children worldwide now live in poverty. Honourable senators, that number is astounding and unacceptable.

The KidsRights Index is the only global ranking survey that annually measures how children’s rights are respected worldwide and also to what extent countries are committed to improving the rights of children.

The KidsRights Index is an initiative of the KidsRights foundation, which works in cooperation with Erasmus University Rotterdam: the Erasmus School of Economics and the International Institute of Social Studies. It comprises a ranking of all UN member states that have ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and for which sufficient data is available. As of 2023, a total of 193 countries are part of the index.

Honourable senators, Canada is not insulated from the detrimental factors affecting children’s rights worldwide. We know all too well that the cost of living has risen significantly, with grocery prices and home prices rising, along with a housing crisis that is drastically affecting Canada’s most vulnerable and marginalized. Today, over 1 million Canadian children live below the poverty line. In my province of Nova Scotia, we have seen the poverty rate rise as well.

According to the 2023 report card on child and family poverty in Nova Scotia, by Campaign 2000 and the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives:

The 2023 child poverty report card records a rate increase in Nova Scotia in 2021 from 18.4% to 20.5%—this 11.4% increase is the highest single-year increase since 1989 when the promise was made to eradicate child poverty by the year 2000. A poverty rate of 20.5% represents 35,330 children living in low-income families, or more than 1 in 5 children in Nova Scotia.

The significant rise in the cost of living and the end of government pandemic financial supports were seen as the biggest factors for this trend.

Colleagues, subparagraph 4(2)(a)(i) of the bill clearly states that a national strategy for children and youth in Canada must include the elimination of child poverty in Canada. As poverty might be a major root cause of other challenges for children in Canada, it should not be the sole focus of a national strategy. Mitigating the effects of climate change, institutional and systemic racism and child exploitation and abuse, as well as ensuring access to health care and safety are all factors.

UNICEF Canada’s Canadian Index of Child and Youth Well-being 2019 Baseline Report looked at 125 different indicators for each child to map their well-being and track government progress. The index brings a wide range of data together into one framework to encourage a comprehensive and balanced view of how kids in Canada are faring and where gaps exist. This data should serve as a guide for government policy and focus.

Honourable senators, it has been several tumultuous years for Canadians due to the pandemic, world conflicts and unprecedented global population displacements. Bill S-282 and its call for a national strategy for children and youth in Canada mandates constant vigilance and assessment through reporting to Parliament at regular intervals. An effective national strategy must be based on policies derived from solid, comprehensive scientific evidence and data, as well as respect for and collaboration with the different jurisdictions that make up Canada, including Indigenous governing bodies and organizations that serve and represent First Nations, Inuit and Métis children and youth.

Honourable senators, goals and milestones must be regularly assessed and policies must be able to pivot and be revised when necessary. To quote the Canadian Index of Child and Youth Well-being 2019 Baseline Report:

The true measure of a nation’s standing is how well it attends its children – their health and safety, their material security, their education and socialization, and their sense of being loved, valued, and included in the families and societies to which they were born.

For our sake, honourable senators, and that of future generations, let us show our children that they were born into a country that values them and their successes and truly considers all aspects of their care.

Again, I wish to thank Senator Moodie for her dedication to Canada’s youth and her hard work on the issue of their well-being. I look forward to hearing from Canadians when this bill is sent to committee. Thank you.