Latest news with #UNICEFCanada
Cision Canada
28-05-2025
- Health
- Cision Canada
Throne Speech 2025: Three ways the Canadian government can prioritize children Français
UNICEF Canada shares the bold policies and proven solutions that can help advance rights of every child at home and around the world following the Speech from the Throne. TORONTO, May 28, 2025 /CNW/ - The Speech from the Throne has set an ambitious vision for Canada at a time of intensifying domestic pressures and global uncertainty. There were welcome signals that the federal government intends to build a Canada with future generations in mind by protecting investments in family-friendly policies, such as child care, dental care and pharmacare. For Canada to"think big and act bigger," concrete steps to further improve conditions for our country's youngest still need to be taken. Efforts to strengthen the economy and address affordability will only lead to sustainable progress if accompanied by robust investments in child rights and well-being. Furthermore, as a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, Canada has a responsibility to uphold and advance the rights of every child in Canada and around the world. UNICEF Canada is calling for bold policies and proven solutions such as: Expand support for families through enhanced income benefits, inclusive parental leave, dedicated mental and physical health care investments, increased access to school food programmes, and affordable early learning and child care. Affirm Canada's leadership globally through the G7 Presidency in 2025 to advocate for action where children are at greatest risk, especially in Sudan, Haiti, Ukraine and Gaza, and drive sustained commitment to international development and humanitarian assistance. Champion children's right to a healthy environment by signing the UNICEF Declaration on Children, Youth and Climate Action, a global commitment to child- and youth-centred climate policy. Canada can only build a country worthy of our children and grandchildren through protections and investments that enable every child to reach their full potential. To quote the Speech from the Throne, "We owe it to this generation, and those who succeed us, to think and act for the greater good of all." In that spirit, UNICEF Canada stands ready to support the Government in advancing these promises for every child, both in Canada and around the world. About UNICEF UNICEF is the world's leading humanitarian organization focused on children. We work in the most challenging areas to provide protection, healthcare and immunizations, education, safe water and sanitation and nutrition. As part of the United Nations, our unrivalled reach spans more than 190 countries and territories, ensuring we are on the ground to help the most disadvantaged children. While part of the UN system, UNICEF relies entirely on voluntary donations to finance our life-saving work. Please visit and follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Economic Times
15-05-2025
- Health
- Economic Times
Canada, one of the world's most developed and richest countries, faces high child mortality rates and youth suicides
TIL Creatives Canada's child well-being ranks low globally, with rising youth suicide rates, bullying, and weak social skills. A new UNICEF report says urgent action is needed to improve mental health support, reduce child mortality, and boost life satisfaction among Canadian children. Canada facing high youth suicide rates and child mortality, UNICEF report warns- Canada is struggling with rising youth suicide rates, child mortality, and a lack of progress in supporting child well-being, according to a new UNICEF report. Despite being one of the wealthiest nations, Canada ranks poorly among high-income countries when it comes to supporting the mental and physical health of its children. The data paints a troubling picture — Canada ranks 33rd in adolescent suicide, 25th in child mortality, and 28th in social skills among youth. UNICEF Canada's CEO, Sevaun Palvetzian, didn't mince words, saying in a statement, 'Canada is barely getting a passing grade.' The report, which ranks 43 OECD and EU countries, places Canada at 19th overall, far below many of its economic peers. Here's a breakdown of what the data reveals and why this should concern us all. The youth suicide rate in Canada was reported at 8.4 per 100,000 adolescents, a slight improvement from 10.1 in 2018. While this is the most significant positive shift for Canada among the report's indicators, the country still ranks 33rd out of 42 countries, highlighting that suicide remains a leading cause of death for Canadian youth. UNICEF Canada youth advocate Matin Moradkhan emphasized the urgent need for accessible and affordable mental health care. 'Mental health care needs to be accessible and affordable for all children when they need it the most,' she told the Toronto Star. She also stressed the importance of mental health education in schools, saying that early intervention is key: 'If children learn about the signs earlier, they can ask for help before it's too late.' While child mortality in Canada has improved since 2018, the progress has been slower than in other countries. Canada ranked 25th out of 43 countries in this category, raising concerns about the country's ability to keep pace with global improvements in child health. Emily Gruenwoldt, CEO of Children's Healthcare Canada, pointed out that Canada's pediatric healthcare systems are undersized and unable to meet the growing demands of a population with more complex medical needs. She warned that this lack of investment results in measurable human and financial costs: 'Investing in our children protects our future workforce and reduces long-term healthcare costs.' The report also shines a light on Canadian children's social skills and their ability to make friends. Canada placed 28th out of 41 countries, with little to no improvement since 2018. This decline in social competence is tied to increased bullying, which remains a widespread issue. UNICEF found that 22% of Canadian children reported being bullied frequently — a statistic that contributes heavily to low life satisfaction, which has dropped three percentage points since 2018. Currently, Canada ranks 13th in overall life satisfaction among youth. UNICEF Canada is calling on governments at all levels to strengthen income benefits, expand parental leave, improve school food programs, and ensure affordable child care. These changes, they argue, can directly improve children's mental health and well-being. 'When families can count on financial support and access to services, it reduces stress at home,' said Palvetzian. She also noted that better family policies aren't just good for children—they're also smart economic policy. According to the OECD, the cost of unmet child well-being needs is equivalent to 2.7% of Canada's GDP annually, due to lost employment, earnings, and poor health outcomes. To address these issues, UNICEF Canada has outlined several key recommendations: Appoint a national commissioner to prioritize children's needs in all policy decisions. Extend the Youth Mental Health Fund to include younger children. Fully implement Jordan's Principle, ensuring First Nations children have access to the same services as other Canadian children. Moradkhan also warned that a growing "polycrisis" — including COVID-19, climate change, digital technology, and global conflict — is shaping childhoods in ways we're only beginning to understand. Even five years after the start of the pandemic, its emotional toll is still deeply felt. 'There's increased anxiety for young people about their future because of all the uncertainty,' she said. The UNICEF Report Card is a wake-up call. Canada, a country known for its prosperity and quality of life, is failing to provide its children with the foundational support they need to thrive. The numbers are clear. A stronger, more unified approach — from federal to municipal governments — is needed to reverse these trends and give every child a fair chance. Q1. Why is the Canada youth suicide rate still high despite recent improvements? Because suicide remains a leading cause of death among teens and mental health care is still not widely accessible. Q2. What does UNICEF Canada recommend to improve child well-being? They suggest better income support, mental health services, affordable child care, and a national children's commissioner.
Time of India
15-05-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Canada, one of the world's most developed and richest countries, faces high child mortality rates and youth suicides
Canada facing high youth suicide rates and child mortality, UNICEF report warns- Canada is struggling with rising youth suicide rates, child mortality, and a lack of progress in supporting child well-being, according to a new UNICEF report. Despite being one of the wealthiest nations, Canada ranks poorly among high-income countries when it comes to supporting the mental and physical health of its children. The data paints a troubling picture — Canada ranks 33rd in adolescent suicide, 25th in child mortality, and 28th in social skills among youth. UNICEF Canada's CEO, Sevaun Palvetzian, didn't mince words, saying in a statement, 'Canada is barely getting a passing grade.' The report, which ranks 43 OECD and EU countries, places Canada at 19th overall, far below many of its economic peers. Here's a breakdown of what the data reveals and why this should concern us all. Why is Canada falling behind in youth suicide rates? The youth suicide rate in Canada was reported at 8.4 per 100,000 adolescents , a slight improvement from 10.1 in 2018. While this is the most significant positive shift for Canada among the report's indicators, the country still ranks 33rd out of 42 countries, highlighting that suicide remains a leading cause of death for Canadian youth. UNICEF Canada youth advocate Matin Moradkhan emphasized the urgent need for accessible and affordable mental health care. 'Mental health care needs to be accessible and affordable for all children when they need it the most,' she told the Toronto Star. She also stressed the importance of mental health education in schools, saying that early intervention is key: 'If children learn about the signs earlier, they can ask for help before it's too late.' Is child mortality in Canada improving fast enough? While child mortality in Canada has improved since 2018, the progress has been slower than in other countries. Canada ranked 25th out of 43 countries in this category, raising concerns about the country's ability to keep pace with global improvements in child health. Live Events Emily Gruenwoldt, CEO of Children's Healthcare Canada, pointed out that Canada's pediatric healthcare systems are undersized and unable to meet the growing demands of a population with more complex medical needs. She warned that this lack of investment results in measurable human and financial costs: 'Investing in our children protects our future workforce and reduces long-term healthcare costs.' How are Canadian children doing socially? The report also shines a light on Canadian children's social skills and their ability to make friends. Canada placed 28th out of 41 countries, with little to no improvement since 2018. This decline in social competence is tied to increased bullying, which remains a widespread issue. UNICEF found that 22% of Canadian children reported being bullied frequently — a statistic that contributes heavily to low life satisfaction, which has dropped three percentage points since 2018. Currently, Canada ranks 13th in overall life satisfaction among youth. Is Canada investing enough in child well-being? UNICEF Canada is calling on governments at all levels to strengthen income benefits, expand parental leave, improve school food programs, and ensure affordable child care. These changes, they argue, can directly improve children's mental health and well-being. 'When families can count on financial support and access to services, it reduces stress at home,' said Palvetzian. She also noted that better family policies aren't just good for children—they're also smart economic policy. According to the OECD, the cost of unmet child well-being needs is equivalent to 2.7% of Canada's GDP annually, due to lost employment, earnings, and poor health outcomes. What are the next steps for Canada? To address these issues, UNICEF Canada has outlined several key recommendations: Appoint a national commissioner to prioritize children's needs in all policy decisions. Extend the Youth Mental Health Fund to include younger children. Fully implement Jordan's Principle, ensuring First Nations children have access to the same services as other Canadian children. Moradkhan also warned that a growing "polycrisis" — including COVID-19, climate change, digital technology, and global conflict — is shaping childhoods in ways we're only beginning to understand. Even five years after the start of the pandemic, its emotional toll is still deeply felt. 'There's increased anxiety for young people about their future because of all the uncertainty,' she said. Can Canada turn things around? The UNICEF Report Card is a wake-up call. Canada, a country known for its prosperity and quality of life, is failing to provide its children with the foundational support they need to thrive. The numbers are clear. A stronger, more unified approach — from federal to municipal governments — is needed to reverse these trends and give every child a fair chance. FAQs: Q1. Why is the Canada youth suicide rate still high despite recent improvements? Because suicide remains a leading cause of death among teens and mental health care is still not widely accessible. Q2. What does UNICEF Canada recommend to improve child well-being? They suggest better income support, mental health services, affordable child care, and a national children's commissioner.
Global News
14-05-2025
- Health
- Global News
Canadian youth ‘doing worse', struggle with friendship and bullying: report
A global study from UNICEF suggests many Canadian kids are unhappy, with social struggles such as bullying and difficulty making friends among the sources of their anguish. UNICEF's 19th Report Card suggests one in five youth in Canada face frequent bullying, one in five are lonely and one in four struggle to make friends. It blames bullying in particular for a drop in life satisfaction reported by 15-year-olds, down three percentage points to 76 per cent since 2018. That marks Canada's biggest slide among categories examined by the report, which compares the well-being of Canadian children to those in other wealthy countries between 2018 and 2022. Despite being among the 10 wealthiest countries studied, Canada ranked 19th out of 36 countries overall, landing toward the bottom end for adolescent suicide, child mortality and social skills. The head of an early learning unit at Vancouver's University of British Columbia said the findings are especially disappointing since Canada should have the resources to address youth struggles, and the societal factors that exacerbate them. Story continues below advertisement 'Children, in many ways, are doing worse. The supports are decreasing rather than increasing,' said Dr. Mariana Brussoni, director of the Human Early Learning Partnership. 'Children are part of families, which are part of communities and neighbourhoods and societies, so it's not just children (struggling). You have to think about everything that surrounds them, and we've seen how parents are struggling and how communities are having hard times.' 1:53 Fewer youth in ERs for mental health, new report says A companion report also released Tuesday that focuses on the Canadian findings says bullying is a major contributor to lower life satisfaction, with 22 per cent of 15-year-olds saying they were bullied frequently, ranking 26th of 40 countries. Get weekly health news Receive the latest medical news and health information delivered to you every Sunday. Sign up for weekly health newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Canada ranked 28th out of 41 countries for social skills, with one in four 15-year-olds saying it was not easy to make friends at school – slightly more than the report's average and part of a worrisome trend. 'This report puts a spotlight on the areas we need prioritized for our children and youth: their health, safety, education, and happiness,' Sevaun Palvetzian, president and CEO of UNICEF Canada, said in a release. Story continues below advertisement 'I'm deeply disappointed by how the life satisfaction of children and youth in Canada is falling. Good mental health is the foundation for childhood, yet it continues to be overlooked,' added UNICEF Canada's youth advocate Matin Moradkhan. 'We are calling for fundamental policy change to our education, funding, and healthcare system, so every child and young person has the opportunity to thrive.' The study from the UN Children's Fund notes social skills largely held steady during an unusual time period when COVID-19 upended daily routines for many families. In Canada, the pandemic forced classes in most parts of the country to move online, cancelled some extracurricular activities and restricted gatherings. 'This indicator changed relatively little between 2018 and 2022 – increasing by more than five per cent in seven of 36 countries while only decreasing substantially in one,' says the study. 'This is a positive sign given the concerns about the potential impacts of school closures during the COVID-19 pandemic.' Still, Brussoni says these trends existed before the pandemic and continue today, requiring vigilance to ensure the right supports are available early in a child's life when it 'pays off so much more than trying to fix things later on.' 5:34 U.S Surgeon General proposes warning labels for social media Canada ranked 13th for overall life satisfaction, and although there was a slight drop, the study says it was not considered statistically significant. Story continues below advertisement The study also found Canada improved its rates of suicide and child mortality but still ranked relatively low – 33rd out of 42 countries for suicide, and 25th of 43 countries for child mortality. Since 2018, the rate of adolescent suicide fell to 8.4 from 10.1 per 100,000 but remained well above the average rate of 6.2 per 100,000, with suicide remaining a leading cause of death of adolescents. The mortality rate among children aged five to 14 dropped to 0.88 from 0.94 per 1,000, but that improvement was less than gains in most other countries, while there was also little progress in addressing overweight kids — more than one in four. Canada's only top 12 ranking was in academic skills, where it placed sixth out of 42 countries. The companion report, 'Childhood Interrupted: How Canada's Child Well-Being Compares to Other Wealthy Countries' urges all levels of government for measures that include doubling the Child Disability Benefit, greater access to income benefits and parental leaves for infant care, and greater protection from marketing and digital harms. It also calls for better responsiveness of Jordan's Principle, established by the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal to make sure First Nations children do not face delays or denials in accessing government services.
Winnipeg Free Press
14-05-2025
- Health
- Winnipeg Free Press
Canadian youth struggle with making friends and bullying: UNICEF report
A global study from UNICEF suggests many Canadian kids are unhappy, with social struggles such as bullying and difficulty making friends among the sources of their anguish. UNICEF's 19th Report Card suggests one in five youth in Canada face frequent bullying, one in five are lonely and one in four struggle to make friends. It blames bullying in particular for a drop in life satisfaction reported by 15-year-olds, down three percentage points to 76 per cent since 2018. That marks Canada's biggest slide among categories examined by the report, which compares the well-being of Canadian children to those in other wealthy countries between 2018 and 2022. Despite being among the 10 wealthiest countries studied, Canada ranked 19th out of 36 countries overall, landing toward the bottom end for adolescent suicide, child mortality and social skills. The head of an early learning unit at Vancouver's University of British Columbia said the findings are especially disappointing since Canada should have the resources to address youth struggles, and the societal factors that exacerbate them. 'Children, in many ways, are doing worse. The supports are decreasing rather than increasing,' said Dr. Mariana Brussoni, director of the Human Early Learning Partnership. 'Children are part of families, which are part of communities and neighbourhoods and societies, so it's not just children (struggling). You have to think about everything that surrounds them, and we've seen how parents are struggling and how communities are having hard times.' A companion report also released Tuesday that focuses on the Canadian findings says bullying is a major contributor to lower life satisfaction, with 22 per cent of 15-year-olds saying they were bullied frequently, ranking 26th of 40 countries. Canada ranked 28th out of 41 countries for social skills, with one in four 15-year-olds saying it was not easy to make friends at school – slightly more than the report's average and part of a worrisome trend. 'This report puts a spotlight on the areas we need prioritized for our children and youth: their health, safety, education, and happiness,' Sevaun Palvetzian, president and CEO of UNICEF Canada, said in a release. 'I'm deeply disappointed by how the life satisfaction of children and youth in Canada is falling. Good mental health is the foundation for childhood, yet it continues to be overlooked,' added UNICEF Canada's youth advocate Matin Moradkhan. 'We are calling for fundamental policy change to our education, funding, and healthcare system, so every child and young person has the opportunity to thrive.' The study from the UN Children's Fund notes social skills largely held steady during an unusual time period when COVID-19 upended daily routines for many families. In Canada, the pandemic forced classes in most parts of the country to move online, cancelled some extracurricular activities and restricted gatherings. 'This indicator changed relatively little between 2018 and 2022 – increasing by more than five per cent in seven of 36 countries while only decreasing substantially in one,' says the study. 'This is a positive sign given the concerns about the potential impacts of school closures during the COVID-19 pandemic.' Still, Brussoni says these trends existed before the pandemic and continue today, requiring vigilance to ensure the right supports are available early in a child's life when it 'pays off so much more than trying to fix things later on.' Canada ranked 13th for overall life satisfaction, and although there was a slight drop, the study says it was not considered statistically significant. The study also found Canada improved its rates of suicide and child mortality but still ranked relatively low – 33rd out of 42 countries for suicide, and 25th of 43 countries for child mortality. Since 2018, the rate of adolescent suicide fell to 8.4 from 10.1 per 100,000 but remained well above the average rate of 6.2 per 100,000, with suicide remaining a leading cause of death of adolescents. Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. The mortality rate among children aged five to 14 dropped to 0.88 from 0.94 per 1,000, but that improvement was less than gains in most other countries, while there was also little progress in addressing overweight kids — more than one in four. Canada's only top 12 ranking was in academic skills, where it placed sixth out of 42 countries. The companion report, 'Childhood Interrupted: How Canada's Child Well-Being Compares to Other Wealthy Countries' urges all levels of government for measures that include doubling the Child Disability Benefit, greater access to income benefits and parental leaves for infant care, and greater protection from marketing and digital harms. It also calls for better responsiveness of Jordan's Principle, established by the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal to make sure First Nations children do not face delays or denials in accessing government services. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 13, 2025.
