Canada ranked 19th out of 36 countries in child well-being, UNICEF says
Progress on indicators of child well-being has largely stalled in Canada, report says
Canada ranks 19th out of 36 countries in well-being of children and youth, behind other wealthy countries such as the Netherlands, Denmark and France, according to a new report from UNICEF.
The 19th edition of the report card, released Wednesday, was based on measures of mental well-being, physical health and skills development from 2018 to 2022.
"When I see statistics like one in four of our children and young people are not learning the social skills that they need or that one in five is saying that they are frequently bullied at school, these are rates that are alarming," said Sevaun Palvetzian, president and CEO of UNICEF Canada.
"These are issues that travel with young people right into adulthood."
Countries with less wealth than Canada, such as Portugal and Spain, showed better child outcomes, ranking fourth and seventh, respectively, according to the report. The Netherlands, Denmark and France topped the list.
Alisa Simon, executive vice-president of e-mental health transformation and clinical services at Kids Help Phone, said her organization is seeing an increase in kids under the age of 13 reaching out to talk about suicidal thoughts, although that doesn't necessarily mean that rates of suicide are going up in Canada.
"We're also seeing increases in young people talking about body image and eating challenges and grief and abuse," said Simon, who was not involved in the report.
Canada ranked 33rd out of 42 countries in terms of rates of suicide among 15- to 19-year-olds, a statistic Palvetzian called shocking.
It ranked 13th for overall life satisfaction.
"Food in the fridge, proper fitting clothing for children, these are not choices that every Canadian can make in equal measure, and that's what shows up collectively as our report card for our young people, our most vulnerable."
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The mortality rate among children ages five to 14 improved only slightly. In 2018, for every 100,000 births, there were 94 deaths of children age five to 14. By 2022, that number dropped to 88, but that improvement was not as strong as the gains made in most other countries.
There was also little progress in addressing obesity among kids — more than one in four were considered overweight, a change of less than one per cent from 2018.
Andrew Boozary, a primary care physician and professor at University of Toronto's Dalla Lana School of Public Health, said families are having to make "impossible choices" these days between paying for groceries, rent or medications and that is impacting the health and well-being of children. It could mean, for example, that a delay in filling or renewing asthma medication results in higher rates of the illness.
Prioritize children and youth, UNICEF Canada says
The report also calls for better outcomes when it comes to respecting the rights outlined in the so-called Jordan's Principle. Established by the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal, it is meant to ensure First Nations children do not face delays or obstacles in accessing government services.
Stephanie Wellman, director of external affairs, programs and operations with the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society in Ottawa, called it very disappointing that Canada continues to have dismal outcomes for children and said that Jordan's Principle needs to be fully implemented.
"It's recognizing that First Nations children are starting at a disadvantage point," Wellman said. "Sometimes, treating all children the same is not fair, so that's why we think substantive equality is very important."
On the child welfare side, Wellman called for support for First Nations children to not only address poverty, housing shortfalls and lack of clean drinking water, but other measures as well.
"Support them to have access and be embedded in their culture, their language and their land, and really set them up for success for the life that they want to live," she said. "So that they can live to their fullest potential."
Tavin Betts, 17, from Tyendinaga Mohawk territory, said the findings reflect a lack of listening to youth, particularly during the social isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"It could be something as simple as drop-in basketball," Betts said. "Environments like [that] are great. Kids can kind of talk [openly]."
Canada's only Top 12 ranking was in academic skills, where it placed sixth out of 42 countries.
Palvetzian urged the various levels of government to support measures such as:
- Doubling the child disability benefit.
- Expanding access to child tax benefits and parental leave.
- Increasing protections that shield kids from digital harms and targeted marketing.
- Strengthening mental health services aimed at young people.
She said one thing other countries do that Canada could incorporate is appointing a national commissioner for youth who would examine the impact on children of all government policy and budgetary decisions.
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With files from CBC's Alison Northcott, Jennifer Yoon and Canadian Press