The federal government has announced that it will begin discussions with provinces and territories to adopt the optional protocol that establishes a complaint mechanism under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. When Canada ratified that Convention it excluded the provision for a complaints process. This is good news for several reasons: …
Read more “Good News for Rights of Children with Disabilities”
The CCRC welcomes the strong focus on ending violence against women and girls. Paying attention to children’s rights is essential and beneficial for the success of proposed national strategies. That is the message in two submissions the CCRC is making. We hope Status of Women Canada will consider Article 19 of the Convention, General Comment …
Assisted Dying: Alternatives to Arbitrary Minimum Age The government has announced that they will hold further consultations on the question of the age of eligibility in the new legal framework for assistance in dying. For now, the proposed bill includes age 18 as a minimum age requirement. The use of arbitrary age limits in many …
A new research report compares what parents contribute to the costs of early childhood education with what they contribute to post-secondary education costs. These are two non-mandatory components of preparing children for full participation in society, but both are increasingly essential for young people. The research shows that “parents with children in PSE (post-secondary education) …
Read more “Early Childhood Education Costs: a thought-provoking report”
Child Rights and Physician Assistance in Death The CCRC made a submission to the parliamentary committee that studied physician assisted death before introduction of a new law. Its recommendation that criteria be based on principles in the CRC rather than an arbitrary age criterion is reflected in the committee report. The committee recommended a two-stage …
Read more “Children and New Law on Physician Assisted Dying”
Posted on behalf of LeeAnn Chapman, CCRC board member and triage lawyer at The Hospital For Sick Children, Toronto UN Convention of the Rights of the Child, Article 12 States Parties shall assure to the child who is capable of forming his or her own views the right to express those views freely in all …
Is it acceptable that Canada has a lower rate of domestic adoptions than comparable countries? Finding permanent family-like care for children who cannot stay with their birth families should be a top priority. All children deserve to grow up with the love and support of a permanent family, whether a birth or adoptive family. Canada …