Author: Kathy Vandergrift
Children’s Rights in Canada’s Response to the UPR
October 16, 2018Canada received 245 recommendations from other countries to improve how it implements human rights, including children’s rights. The response is a missed opportunity to make and show progress in Canada. It shows that not much has changed in practice, in spite of ministerial level statements about improving implementation in Canada. The forthcoming review of children’s […]
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Children’s rights under review
September 16, 2018Children’s rights in Canada are under review. The official report, due in July, is expected by the end of September. If you care about children in Canada, you can use the review process to make progress for your issues. Read more about it and consider what you can do. Implementing the Convention on the Rights […]
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Poverty Plan: A Good Start
August 22, 2018The Canadian Coalition for the Rights of Children (CCRC) welcomes the official release of Canada’s first Federal Poverty Reduction Strategy. It signals clear recognition of the need for focused and coordinated attention to address the long-standing challenge of poverty, including child poverty, across Canada. In particular, the framework is noteworthy for setting targets, using multiple […]
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Family Law and Children’s Rights
May 26, 2018Proposed changes in Canadian family law are a big step forward for children’s rights in Canada. If passed, Bill 78 will make the Best Interests of the Child the only principle for decisions on parental arrangements in divorce cases. Criteria for determining the best interests of the child reflect Convention principles, including a legal requirement […]
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A Step Forward for Youth Justice
May 3, 2018The Canadian Coalition for the Rights of Children (CCRC) welcomes proposed amendments to the Youth Criminal Justice Act, contained in Bill C-75. The proposed changes increase the likelihood that extra-judicial measures will be used in more cases; they fit with the principle of using imprisonment only as a last resort, as articulated in Article 37 […]
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Bill C-69 and Children’s Right to a Healthy Environment
April 3, 2018Bill C-69 is an opportunity for Canada to show that it takes the rights of children seriously by including assessment of impacts for children in the new environmental review process. The Convention on the Rights of the Child includes the right to a healthy environment, as well as requiring states to give the best interests […]
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Children’s Rights Matter: the Abdoul Abdi Story
March 20, 2018Abdoul Abdi faces a deportation hearing this week. He is an adult now, but he would not be in this position if the government of Nova Scotia had protected his rights as a child. This case illustrates how implementing the Convention on the Rights of the Child in Canada could prevent children from falling through […]
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