Create a National Plan for Children and Youth

Summary#

This bill orders the federal government to create a national strategy for children and youth. It sets clear goals, timelines, and reporting rules. It requires broad consultations, including directly with children and youth and Indigenous governing bodies. It does not create new programs or funding; it creates a plan and accountability process.

• Sets objectives, including eliminating child poverty and raising a consistent standard of living for children across Canada (Content (2)(a)(i)-(ii)).
• Requires compliance with children’s rights treaties and the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, as they relate to children and youth (Content (2)(a)(iii)(A)-(D)).
• Mandates measurable outcomes and indicators, an evidence-based assessment, and a plan to address unmet goals (Content (2)(b)-(d)).
• Requires consultations with children and youth, provinces and municipalities, Indigenous governing bodies, and stakeholders (Consultations (3)).
• Orders a progress report every 6 months until the strategy is tabled; the strategy must be tabled within 24 months and published online within 10 days (Progress reports; Tabling of strategy (1); Publication (2)).
• Requires a review every 5 years on implementation and results, tabled in Parliament (Review and report (1)-(2)).

What it means for you#

• Households and children/youth:

  • You may be invited to take part in consultations. The minister must ensure children and youth consulted reflect Canada’s diversity (Consultations (3)(a); Considerations (4)).
  • No immediate change to benefits or services. The strategy will only identify what resources are needed; any new funding would require separate decisions (Content (2)(e)).
  • Expect a public progress report within 6 months after Royal Assent, and every 6 months after, until the strategy is tabled within 24 months (Progress reports; Tabling of strategy (1)).
  • The strategy must propose a way to consider complaints from children and youth about its implementation, but this bill does not create that system by itself (Content (2)(f)(iv)).

• Indigenous communities and organizations:

  • The minister must consult Indigenous governing bodies and organizations serving First Nations, Inuit, and Métis children and youth (Consultations (3)(d)).
  • The strategy must consider Jordan’s Principle, the Inuit Child First Initiative, and relevant TRC and MMIWG recommendations (Considerations (5)(b)-(d)).
  • The strategy must align with UNDRIP for matters affecting children and youth (Content (2)(a)(iii)(D)).

• Provinces, territories, and municipalities:

  • Representatives must be consulted in developing the strategy (Consultations (3)(c)).
  • The strategy aims for a high and consistent standard of living for children, which will require intergovernmental coordination, but the bill does not mandate specific provincial actions (Content (2)(a)(ii)).

• Service providers and advocacy groups:

  • Relevant stakeholders must be consulted (Consultations (3)(e)).
  • The final strategy will set outcomes and indicators aligned with international standards, which can guide program design and evaluation (Content (2)(b)).

• Federal government:

  • A federal minister will be designated to lead the strategy, consult partners, and report to Parliament (Designation of Minister; Development (1); Progress reports).
  • After tabling the strategy, the minister must review and report on implementation every 5 years (Review and report (1)-(2)).

Expenses#

Estimated net cost: Data unavailable.

• Fiscal note: Data unavailable.
• Appropriations in bill: None.
• Mandated activities (no amounts specified):
  • Develop and table a national strategy within 24 months; publish online within 10 days (Tabling of strategy (1); Publication (2)).
  • Consult children and youth, other governments, Indigenous governing bodies, and stakeholders (Consultations (3)).
  • Issue progress reports every 6 months until the strategy is tabled (Progress reports).
  • Conduct and table a review every 5 years on implementation and results (Review and report (1)-(2)).
• Revenue changes: None in the bill.

Proponents' View#

• Creates a coherent, national plan to address child poverty and raise living standards, filling a policy gap identified in the preamble (Preamble; Content (2)(a)(i)-(ii)).
• Strengthens Canada’s compliance with international obligations on children’s rights and Indigenous rights by making them explicit objectives (Content (2)(a)(iii)(A)-(D)).
• Improves accountability through measurable indicators, evidence-based assessments, and public monitoring and parliamentary oversight (Content (2)(b)-(c), (f)(i), (f)(v); Progress reports).
• Centers the voices of children and youth, including those from diverse backgrounds and experiences (Consultations (3)(a); Considerations (4)).
• Embeds Indigenous-specific frameworks and recommendations (Jordan’s Principle, Inuit Child First, TRC, MMIWG) into strategy design (Considerations (5)).
• Requires regular reporting and 5-year reviews, enabling course correction over time (Review and report (1)-(2)).

Opponents' View#

• Sets very broad goals (e.g., complete elimination of child poverty) without funding or enforcement tools in the bill, risking unmet expectations (Content (2)(a)(i); Content (2)(e)).
• May duplicate or complicate provincial and territorial roles in child services, creating coordination challenges (Consultations (3)(c); Preamble on cross‑jurisdictional collaboration).
• Adds administrative work for semi-annual progress reports and recurring 5-year reviews, without direct service delivery in this bill (Progress reports; Review and report (1)-(2)).
• Proposes, but does not establish, key mechanisms like public monitoring, complaints handling, and parliamentary oversight procedures; impact depends on future actions (Content (2)(f)).
• The 24-month deadline for a national, cross‑jurisdictional strategy could strain capacity and reduce depth of consultations or analysis (Tabling of strategy (1)).