Children First Canada’s annual Raising Canada 2024 report is out, and it’s a must-read for anyone who cares about the future of our kids.
This year’s report shines a light on the top 10 threats facing children in Canada—from mental health to online harms—and calls for urgent action to turn things around.
To Read the Report: https://childrenfirstcanada.org/campaign/raising-canada/
Raising Canada
Original Source: https://childrenfirstcanada.org/campaign/raising-canada/
Launched in 2018, Raising Canada is an annual series of research 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, and active youth engagement. For more than a decade, the quality of life of children in Canada has been on the decline. Canada ranks 66th on the global Kids Rights Index, and 30th out of 38 affluent nations for protecting the well-being of children. As a country, we have been going in the wrong direction for far too long.
A Generation is Falling Behind: The time to act is now. Our children deserve nothing less.
Raising Canada 2024 highlights that the state of childhood in Canada has reached a breaking point. The research finds that the top 10 threats to childhood are escalating, with children’s quality of life in Canada demonstrably worsening. 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.
The report includes an urgent call for policymakers to address and overcome these pressing issues. It also calls on community leaders to recognize the value of youth engagement as a critical element of creating and implementing solutions to complex social issues, and it urges all Canadians to play a role in standing up for kids.
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:
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.
Invest in Kids: Launch a Catalytic Investment Fund for Children over the next 4 years and publish a Children’s Budget.
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.
Beyond these overarching Calls to Action, the Raising Canada 2024 report includes specific recommendations for policy change and community-based responses to each of the top 10 threats to childhood. These require immediate attention and resources to create meaningful change.
But the responsibility does not rest solely on the shoulders of federal leaders. Every Canadian has a role to play in ensuring a brighter future for our children. Parents, grandparents, teachers, business leaders, faith communities, sports organizations, and even the children themselves—each of us has the power to make a difference. We cannot afford to wait for others to lead the way. We must look within ourselves, imagine a better future for our children, and take concrete steps today to make it possible.
The time to act is now. Our children deserve nothing less.