Progress for Children’s Rights in the Business Sector

Canada announced this week that a new ombudsperson will be appointed to investigate violations of human rights by Canadian businesses operating globally.  This is a positive response to part of one recommendation that Canada received after the last review of children’s rights in Canada.  The new office will focus first on the extractive sector, but …

Change Promised for Implementation of Children’s Rights in Canada

Children’s rights in Canada may benefit from a Ministerial Meeting on Human Rights, held on December 11, 2017.  Ministers from federal, provincial, and territorial governments agreed that the current system for implementing international human rights obligations in Canada is “out-dated” and “needs modernization.”  This was the first Ministerial level meeting on human rights in Canada …

Housing and Children’s Rights

There are two signs of substantive progress in the National Housing Strategy, released on November 22, 2017.  First is the strong focus on housing for vulnerable groups, including low-income families with children, a specific focus on children affected by family violence, and indigenous housing.  Details and dollar amounts are pending, but the direction of the …

National Child Day 2017: Children’s Rights Can Make Canada Work Better

Members of the Coalition will celebrate National Child Day with children across the country on November 20, 2017.  We also celebrate the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which is the reason for this day. This year the CCRC is drawing attention to the potential benefits of the Convention on the Rights of the …

Food Fights and Children’s Rights

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 …

Marijuana Use and Young People: Open Letter

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 …

Education and Children’s Rights in Canada

How well are children’s rights in education fulfilled across Canada?  In a discussion paper, the CCRC reviews the recommendations Canada received during its last review of children’s rights, notes some indicators of progress, and suggests what we hope to see in the next report, which will be submitted in July 2018. In particular, Canada was …