Children First Canada's Annual "Raising Canada" 2023 report is out!

Launched in 2018, Raising Canada is an annual series of reports on the state of the nation’s children. The report tracks the top 10 threats to childhood and highlights emerging threats like technology misuse and cross-cutting themes like access to healthcare and social services. For more than a decade, the state of childhood in Canada has been on the decline. Canada ranks 81st on the global Kids Rights Index and 30th out of 38 affluent nations for protecting the well-being of children.

Raising Canada 2023 is the sixth in an annual series of reports that track the top 10 threats to childhood. This year, the report highlights how children and youth have compounded, complex, and urgent needs in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and the recent “tripledemic”. 

The data also reveals that equity-deserving children and youth are disproportionately impacted by the top 10 threats – including young First Nations, Métis and Inuit children, people from racialized communities, 2SLGBTQIA+ youth and young people with disabilities.

What’s inside:

  • The latest data on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the “tripledemic” on kids in Canada

  • An equity, diversity, and inclusion lens applied throughout the report

  • An analysis of the interconnection between threats

  • Artistic expressions and quotes from children across Canada

  • Recommendations and calls to action for the Government of Canada

Calls to Action

The following Calls to Action are a direct response to the findings in the Raising Canada report. They have been endorsed by Children First Canada’s Council of Champions, and developed with the input of children and youth from the Young Canadians’ Parliament:

  1. Lead For and With Kids: Establish a Federal Commissioner for Children and Youth, develop a National Strategy for Children and Youth, and develop a national Data Strategy on the health and well-being of young Canadians.

  2. Invest in Kids: Launch a Catalytic Investment Fund for Children over the next 4 years and publish a Children’s Budget.

  3. Raise Them With Rights: Support child rights education and provide children and youth with a platform to exercise their rights as leaders of today and tomorrow.

To read the report, please click here