Bill C-78 proposes significant changes in the laws that affect children caught up in the separation and/or divorce of their parents and related family court processes. Legislative changes that will make the best interests of the children the paramount consideration for all actors is positive. It makes Canada’s laws more consistent with the Convention on …
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 …
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 …
Read more “Bill C-69 and Children’s Right to a Healthy Environment”
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 …
In 2012 Canada was specifically asked to address the high incidence of obesity in children by, among other steps, “ensuring greater regulatory controls over the production and advertisement of fast food and unhealthy foods, especially those targeted to children. (Concluding Observations, paragraph 64, CRC/C/CAN/CO/3-4, page 15) This was one recommendation among many in the last review …
The CCRC calls for three steps to address the concerns related to marijuana use and young people in an Open Letter to Federal and Provincial Governments: Consider all the rights of young people through a Children’s Rights Impact Assessment of Bill C-45 Implement a comprehensive youth strategy, that includes support services as well as public …
The case of Omar Khadr shows the importance of recognizing and protecting the rights of every child. Early recognition of Khadr’s rights as a child could have prevented harm to him and the need for redress and financial compensation now. In a public statement the Canadian Coalition for the Rights of the Child (CCRC) explains …