BC Council for Families

by Marilee Peters
Acting Executive Director

Canada's children and youth are losing ground on public policy that addresses their health and well-being. That's the warning from the Canadian Paediatric Society, which every two years issues a status report examining how well the provincial/territorial and federal governments are doing on the job of promoting and protecting the health, safety and well-being of children and youth.  

The most recent report, Are We Doing Enough?, assesses public policy in four key areas: Disease Prevention, Health Promotion, Injury Prevention, and Best Interests of Children and Youth, evaluating what is being done across the country - for instance, which provinces have initiated newborn hearing screenings, 18-month well-baby visits, child poverty reduction plans, and youth mental health plans? The report authors are concerned that little progress has occurred on many of the measures since the last report was issued in 2009 - and warns that in some areas, public policy for children and youth may actually be losing ground.

The report finds that while BC has implemented Canadian Paediatric Society recommendations in several areas, there are others where public policy measures in this province fall far short of ideal. Among the successes: province-wide newborn hearing screenings, a provincial child and youth mental health plan,  and booster seat legislation. The areas that BC falls short in are no surprise to any who work in the field of social services: this province's lack of legislation and a strategy to reduce child and family poverty, and the lack of a comprehensive implementation plan for Jordan's Principle are two issues where BC fails significantly to measure up.

Estimates for British Columbia show that poverty costs the province between $8 billion and $9 billion annually, while a comprehensive program to reduce poverty would cost between $3 billion and $4 billion per year. What can we do to encourage our governments to develop policies and legislation that will improve the lives of children and youth, create better health outcomes for individuals throughout the lifespan, and provide cost-savings to the health care, justice and social service systems? The Canadian Paediatric Society suggests 10 Ways to Advocate for Child and Youth Health. It's not too late to add them to your list of New Year's resolutions.