BC Council for Families

This month the Canadian Council of Provincial Child and Youth Advocates (CCPCYA) held a press conference and released the position paper: Aboriginal Children and Youth in Canada: Canada Must Do Better. The advocates, who work in nine provinces and one territory in Canada, work to ensure that government and the public understand issues having to do with children and youth, particularly those who are most vulnerable. CCPCYA also works to ensure that not only are children and youth’s issues understood, but that action is taken when it is required.

This new position paper identifies may areas where non-Aboriginal children and youth outcomes are better than Aboriginal children and youth outcomes. The report notes that Aboriginal children and youth are more likely to live in poverty, disproportionately involved with the criminal justice system and the child protection system, more likely to face health problems, sexual abuse, violence, injury or death, and their educational achievement lags behind that of their non-Aboriginal peers. In order to address these disparities CCPCYA suggest that a national strategy is required.

CCPCYA acknowledge that the exercise of jurisdiction by Aboriginal authorities must be central to any strategy. But they also make the point that the duty to care for our country’s children lies with all Canadians.

The position paper identifies four concrete actions that CCPCYA believe are needed to begin to develop a national strategy for Canada’s Aboriginal Children.

>> Read the full position paper and press release on the BC Representative for Children and Youth website