Hon. Yonah Martin (Deputy Leader of the Opposition): Honourable senators, with leave of the Senate and notwithstanding rule 5-5(k), I move:

That, notwithstanding any provision of the Rules or usual practice, for today’s sitting, the duration for Senators’ Statements be 70 minutes, to be used for the purpose of paying tribute to our colleague the Honourable Senator Mockler, who will retire from the Senate on April 14, 2024, not including the time for his response.

Hon. Senators: Agreed.

(Debate adjourned.)

On the Order:

Resuming debate on the inquiry of the Honourable Senator Woo, calling the attention of the Senate to the one hundredth anniversary of the Chinese Exclusion Act, the contributions that Chinese Canadians have made to our country, and the need to combat contemporary forms of exclusion and discrimination faced by Canadians of Asian descent.

The Hon. the Speaker: Is it your pleasure, honourable senators, to adopt the motion?

The Hon. the Speaker: Is leave granted, honourable senators?

Hon. Senators: Hear, hear.

[Translation]

Hon. Senators: Hear, hear.

[English]

Hon. Brian Francis, Chair of the Standing Senate Committee on Indigenous Peoples, presented the following report:

Thursday, April 11, 2024

The Standing Senate Committee on Indigenous Peoples has the honour to present its

SEVENTEENTH REPORT

Your committee, to which was referred Bill S-16, An Act respecting the recognition of the Haida Nation and the Council of the Haida Nation, has, in obedience to the order of reference of February 29, 2024, examined the said bill and now reports the same without amendment.

Respectfully submitted,

BRIAN FRANCIS

Chair

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, when shall this report be taken into consideration?

(On motion of Senator Housakos, report placed on the Orders of the Day for consideration at the next sitting of the Senate.)

Hon. Senators: Agreed.

The Hon. the Speaker: Is leave granted, honourable senators?

Hon. Yonah Martin (Deputy Leader of the Opposition): Honourable senators, with leave, I’d like to adjourn for the balance of my time.

Hon. Yonah Martin (Deputy Leader of the Opposition): Honourable senators, I note that this item is at day 15, so I move the adjournment of the debate for the balance of my time.

The Hon. the Speaker pro tempore: It is moved by the Honourable Senator Martin, seconded by the Honourable Senator Seidman, that further debate be adjourned until the next sitting of the Senate.

Is it your pleasure, honourable senators, to adopt the motion?

Some Hon. Senators: Hear, hear.

Hon. Sharon Burey: Honourable senators, I rise today in support of Bill S-282, An Act respecting a national strategy for children and youth.

As a pediatrician, mother, grandmother and now senator, I would like to thank Senator Moodie for introducing this bill. It is particularly relevant now, at this time, in this place, at this point in our history, as the country faces various global shocks such as the recovery following a historic pandemic whose long-term effects are now revealing themselves to us, as we grapple with climate change, economic instability, wars and security threats, declining productivity, a crisis of innovation and affordability, the widespread impact of the internet, social media and artificial intelligence, a national housing crisis, declining learning, growing school absenteeism, child poverty and food insecurity, record numbers of children and youth struggling with anxiety and depression, and the ongoing crisis in our health care systems, including those affecting children.

[English]

This speech is dedicated to my granddaughters, who are twin girls, Hope and Faith. The hope is that we as a country — as parliamentarians and as senators — will continue the vision and the promise of the work of others, especially another great Canadian, Senator Landon Pearson, the children’s senator. And the faith is that as a society, we will do the necessary substantive work to unleash the promise and potential of this country of ours.

This is a critical period in Canada’s development as a country. It was Nelson Mandela who said, “There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children.”

Canada made significant gains in its commitment to the goals for outcomes for children and families; however, we are off track, and we have lost our focus. We have lost ground.

Bill S-282 is about getting us back on track and refocusing our energies on our goals, objectives and outcomes when it comes to children and families. At its core, it is about who we are as a nation.

Dear colleagues, we are called to enshrine in law our values, as we did with our Constitution and Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Make no mistake: Our words become worlds. What we write, say and do matters, and it shapes our reality and our collective future.

Yes, we still must continue the work of perfecting our co-operative federalism, being mindful of the division of powers and responsibilities at the federal, provincial, territorial and Indigenous levels of governing bodies, and of becoming a more inclusive society. We have to retool our focus, as this bill sets out in the preamble, respecting the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child; the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples; upholding our commitment to truth and reconciliation with First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples; addressing vulnerable, marginalized, Black and racialized youth; two-spirit and LGBTQIA+ youth; children and youth living with disabilities; and, I would add, respecting our commitments to official language and minority language rights.

The legislative journey of Bill S-282 builds on Bill C-371 when, in 1993, the Government of Canada passed the national Child Day Act, which led to National Child Day being celebrated on November 20 and marked the adoption of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which was ratified in 1989. It builds on the life and policy work of Senator Landon Pearson and the various provincial, territorial and Indigenous partnership tables’ shared objectives and Canada’s 2030 Agenda National Strategy.

What we need now, colleagues, is to enshrine into law these ongoing policies and programs that represent our values. We have all of the ingredients.

In making the case for this bill, I propose to share with you some of the work, again, of Senator Landon Pearson, findings from UNICEF Report Card 18, data trends that are emerging from the Statistics Canada Sustainable Development Goals Data Hub, a recent report from the Conference Board of Canada and anecdotes from my own professional experience. I hope to show that the lack of a cohesive strategy and plan is harming our children and costing us trillions of dollars.

Dear colleagues, in 2004, Senator Landon Pearson spearheaded the work and release of the landmark report called A Canada Fit for Children. The report set out a road map towards a common Canadian vision for children, a plan of action and how to create a Canada fit for children. It set strategies, goals and actions.

The report also pointed out what metrics and outcomes could monitor progress and keep us on track, and it ended with an impressive summary of Government of Canada investments and commitments to children.

But colleagues, we are off track. Let me share some sobering statistics with you. UNICEF Report Card 18 compares levels of child poverty in the richest countries, the progress they have been making to end child poverty and how well the policies protect every child from poverty. Canada ranked 19 out of 39 countries on child poverty. Over 1 million children are growing up in poverty. These are 2021 figures, and we know that these numbers are increasing.

Children had the highest rates of food insecurity among all groups in 2022, which translates to 1.8 million children. Get this, colleagues: Under-five mortality ranks thirty-fourth, which slipped from twelfth place in 2013.

I would also underscore that all of these parameters are magnified in vulnerable, Black and Indigenous children and youth. Suicide among Indigenous youth is among the highest in the world. Canada is struggling and failing to fulfill its commitments to Jordan’s Principle and fully fund child and social welfare for Indigenous children.

Colleagues, according to Statistics Canada SDG Data Hub Goal 3 — ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all at all ages; and targets and indicators for adopting healthy behaviours, for example, that by March 31, 2022, 30% of Canadians report eating fruits or vegetables five or more times per day — targets show we are in the red zone and deteriorating. This is where the recently announced National School Food Program may be helpful. So far, research has shown that these types of interventions work and improve academic performance and nutrition indicators, and may reduce obesity in children.

Regarding the prevalence of vaping, another target is that by 2030, less than 10% of students in grades 7 to 12 will have used a vaping product in the past 30 days. Targets and indicators again show we are in the red zone and deteriorating. With regard to the prevalence of harmful alcohol use by those 12 to 17 years of age, again, we are in the red zone and deteriorating.

As Senator Greenwood noted in her speech a few weeks ago, Canada has access to a Child Rights Impact Assessment tool, but there are no mandatory requirements for governments to use it. This tool has been developed to help governments and non-governmental organizations assess whether policy proposals will improve the well-being of children and youth. It is grounded in a child’s rights approach.

Senator Greenwood remarks that:

. . . if the Government of Canada can mandate gender equality, privacy and environmental protection in its decision-making processes, then it is time for us to include a child rights impact assessment.

Thank you, Senator Greenwood. It is truly an honour to be working alongside you.

Recent reports point to rising rates of school absenteeism in elementary and high school. Having said that, there is no nationally collected data set for school absenteeism in Canada.

According to a CBC article from just a few weeks ago, Maria Rogers, a child psychologist and Canada Research Chair in Child and Youth Mental Health and Well-Being at Carleton University, said:

If we don’t have the data to show that our children are missing tremendous amounts of school, far more than they have in the past . . . then it’s easy to look the other way . . .

She went on to say that, “. . . academic achievement, broadly speaking, is one of the top predictors worldwide of a healthy adulthood.”

Colleagues, the data and trends are overwhelming. What we are doing is not working. We are at an inflection point, a crossroads, and we must decide how we are going to meet this challenge and meet the moment.

Important recommendations from UNICEF Report Card 18 are worth reading. I want to highlight one of these recommendations: institute a child-focused budgetary tracking system for the allocation and use of resources through the budget.

Let me share a few anecdotes from my own experiences.

Having dedicated my career to the well-being of children, as many of you have, and having worked in the area of children’s mental health for most of my career as a pediatrician, understanding the social determinants of health inclusive of an ecological paradigm, an ecological, biological and psychosocial approach, helped me navigate the best path forward with patients and families.

If a child was referred to me for behavioural issues, it was important to understand that there were various factors contributing to the child’s presentation. Was it a hearing or vision issue? Was it a learning issue, or perhaps ADHD, along with child poverty, inadequate housing and/or a parent struggling with mental health challenges? This understanding is what allowed me to advocate for the best interests of the child.

It was extremely complex because we are dealing with silos of systems within silos of care, as well as the intersection of health, education, social and justice systems.

The situation continues to exist across agencies, organizations and federal, provincial and territorial governments, despite calls for action and partnership agreements.

Finally, colleagues, let me just draw your attention to a report from the Conference Board of Canada, Nurturing Minds for Secure Futures, released in December 2023, and the cost of not having a whole-of-society strategy. Key findings include that 1.6 million children and youth in Canada are estimated to have a mental health disorder.

It also states:

Without timely investments, the lifetime cost of just one cohort of children with onset of anxiety and/or depression at the age of 10 is close to $1 trillion.

It also finds that investments in children’s mental health today, with a focus on accessible, inclusive programming for vulnerable populations, can save $28 billion annually.

Colleagues, think about this for a minute. Further reports show the positive impact on GDP over time. A key recommendation is to develop and fund a pan-Canadian child health strategy with mental health as a key pillar, investing in evidence-informed, outcomes-based programs, and creating a national data strategy.

In closing, I want to thank Senator Moodie for her vision in bringing this bill forward and her team for working on it so diligently.

Our children are our most precious gifts and resource. Without vibrant, healthy youth, our society and country will face existential threats. Bill S-282 is the next step in the journey to codify in our laws what we have been trying to do in truly making Canada a country fit for children.

We have the chance, all of us sitting here right now, to take the baton from Senator Landon Pearson in the relay race in the life of our country and ensure that all our children have the brightest future possible — no child left behind.

I end where I began, with my granddaughters, Hope and Faith. As you think of your own children and grandchildren, grandnieces, grandnephews, remember that it takes a village to raise a child. They are depending on us. I urge you, dear colleagues, after careful consideration and further debate, to vote to move this bill to the committee stage. Thank you. Meegwetch.

(On motion of Senator Martin, debate adjourned.)

On the Order:

Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Gerba, seconded by the Honourable Senator Klyne, for the second reading of Bill C-282, An Act to amend the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Act (supply management).