Canada’s National Child & Youth Commissioner

To:  Canadian government

Whereas on November 18th 1989, an all party Resolution to eradicate child poverty was passed unanimously by the House of Commons and almost twenty years later, Campaign 2000’s report released in 2008 has found that 760,000, or almost one child out of every nine children in Canada lives in poverty; and

Whereas on January 12th 1992 Canada ratified and became a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) and today, there has been little progress toward the integration of the spirit, intent and commitment to transfer the theory of Child Rights from theory into reality and as a foundation to Canadian social and economic policy for our children and youth; and

Whereas there is no governmental, or national body, or organization has taken leadership, or responsibility for tracking and monitoring the thousands of children who are missing, trafficked, exploited and murdered in Canada each year; and

Whereas Canada, unlike many other nations with much better outcomes for their children, has no national leadership and oversight, nor takes any responsibility for overseeing and monitoring the provinces and territories in their provision of services to children and youth regarding their health, well-being and outcomes and they are Canada’s future; and

Whereas, in a recent UNICEF report, Canada tied for last place amongst developed nations on ten standards for child care and failed to meet minimum standards for a national plan for disadvantaged children, subsidized and regulated child care services for 25% of children under 3, 1% of GDP spent on early childhood services, a child poverty rate less than 10% and 80% of child care staff trained; and

Therefore, be it resolved that the signatories to this petition call for the creation of a creation of a Select Standing Child and Youth parliamentary committee, which will be non-partisan, with appointees who are leaders in child and youth advocacy in their provinces, Canada and internationally; and

Therefore be it resolved that the signatories to this petition call on the Canadian government to immediately create and fund a National Child & Youth Commissioner, an independent officer of Parliament, whose role and mandate will be to take national leadership in overseeing and monitoring of how each province and territory is meeting the human rights and needs of it’s children and youth as set out by the UNCRC.

Finally be it resolved that the National Child & Youth Commissioner will report annually on the progress being made by each province and territory and Canada, as a whole, toward meeting the human rights and needs of it’s children and youth and will provide public recommendations for the Canadian government on how to ensure that child and youth’s rights and needs are the foundation of social and economic policy in Canada.

Sincerely,

The Undersigned

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