Provinces and territories fall short in keeping kids healthy and safe

MONTREAL — All provinces and territories need to make better use of public policy to protect and promote the health and well-being of Canada’s children and youth, according to the Canadian Paediatric Society. The CPS today released the second edition of a status report that shows Canadian provinces and territories fall short when it comes to using legislation and public policy to safeguard their youngest citizens.  

“Currently, there is a piecemeal approach to keeping children and youth healthy and safe in Canada ― and it’s putting kids at risk,” says Dr. Andrew Lynk, Chair of the CPS Action Committee for Children and Teens. “After two years, advances have been made in certain areas but not one province or territory shines overall.”  

Are We Doing Enough? A status report on Canadian public policy and child and youth health was released today during a news conference in Montreal . It is the second report in two years and compares provinces and territories in areas such as health promotion, disease prevention, and injury prevention. It also includes an assessment of several federal government programs and policies.  

“Looming mental health issues and the impending shortage of paediatricians in Canada suggest that the wait time crisis could be just beginning. This could spell potential disaster for Canadian children and youth who need essential health care services,” says Dr. Lynk, a paediatrician in Nova Scotia . “Resources targeted toward adult wait time initiatives should not come at the expense of services for children and youth.”  

But provincial and territorial governments alone cannot be held accountable for this shortfall. The federal government has a critical role to play and the CPS is calling on national strategies for injury prevention, mental health and paediatric human resources planning. It also is calling for a Commissioner for Children and Youth to serve as a voice for all children and youth at the federal level.  

“In the past two years provinces and territories have made headway in reducing adolescent smoking rates. We have also seen that national strategies can be effective in ensuring universal access to childhood vaccines. We now need to take the health and safety of our kids one step further and develop national strategies in other key areas,” says CPS President Dr. Robert Issenman.  

The report finds that even though unintentional injury is still the leading cause of death, morbidity and disability among Canadian children and youth, provinces and territories could have tougher legislation in place to keep kids safe from preventable harm.  

About the Canadian Paediatric Society

The Canadian Paediatric Society is a national advocacy association that promotes the health needs of children and youth. Founded in 1922, the CPS represents more than 3,300 paediatricians, paediatric subspecialists and other child health professionals across Canada.