Proposed 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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The 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 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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Abdoul 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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The CCRC welcomes the development of a national youth policy and supports the initiative to consider the views of young people in its development. This is one step toward realizing the rights of young people. In a letter to the Prime Minister, who is also the Minister of Youth, the CCRC recommends two strategic directions: […]
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Children in Canada have less protection against violence than adults do. Current plans to reform Canada’s criminal justice system provide an opportunity to make the right of children to be free from all forms of violence, Article 19 in the Convention on the Rights of the Child, part of Canadian law. Stated plans to […]
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Children are affected when their parents go through a divorce, but their rights are not well-protected in Canada’s current family laws. The CCRC welcomes plans to modernize the law and expand the unified family court system. Stronger protection for the rights of children should be central to this process. It is also an opportunity for […]
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