Children First Canada says one-third of kids in the country aren’t experiencing a safe and healthy childhood, with some of the tops reasons being poor mental health, food insecurity, systemic racism, child abuse, and climate change.

The non-profit’s Stephanie Mitton outlines the three things policy makers can implement to better protect children in Canada......

“Number one is a commissioner for children and youth.  This would help in developing a policy lens for children on policy legislative decisions being made federally.  Second is a children’s budget, where’s the money going, is it enough, is it being spent in the right places and the third is a national plan of action.  When Canada was getting better years ago in terms some of these readings Canada had a national plan of action so we need something like that in order to have a plan of what are the issues we’re going to focus on, what are the interventions we’re going to do and how are we going to measure that those are the right things and that we are making a difference.”           

The report adds the government needs to create transparency and accountability on federal expenditures related to children and youth.