Bill S-212, An Act respecting a national strategy for children and youth in Canada, would create a new Act; it does not amend an existing Act. If passed, it would require a federal minister to develop and report on a national strategy. Its stated goal is to set objectives and plans for children’s and youths’ well-being; the bill does not itself guarantee those objectives will be achieved.
The Governor in Council could designate any federal minister to lead the work.
The minister must develop a strategy with objectives that include eliminating child poverty, equitable access to mental health supports, a high and consistent standard of living, and compliance with specified human-rights instruments.
The strategy must include measurable indicators, an evidence-based assessment, a plan for unmet objectives, and an estimate of the resources needed.
The minister must consult children and youth, relevant federal ministers, provincial and municipal representatives, Indigenous governing bodies and organizations, and others. The bill sets special requirements for children’s participation.
The minister must report to Parliament on progress every six months until the strategy is tabled, within 24 months after royal assent. Later reviews would be due every five years.
Children and youth: The minister must consult them and ensure those consulted reflect the diversity of children and youth in Canada. The minister must make every reasonable effort to provide a culturally safe setting and an opportunity to participate in their own languages.
Indigenous communities: The minister must consult Indigenous governing bodies and organizations that serve or represent First Nations, Inuit and Métis children and youth. The strategy must include relevant indicators informed by Indigenous perspectives and knowledge systems, and the minister must consider specified rights, programs and recommendations. The bill does not directly create a service or benefit for Indigenous children.
Provincial and municipal governments: Their representatives must be consulted, but the bill does not require those governments to adopt or carry out the strategy.
The public: The strategy report and later review reports would be tabled in Parliament. The strategy report must also be published on a federal government website within 10 days of being tabled in both Houses.
Children, families and service providers: The bill does not create an individual entitlement to services, a complaint process, or a new program. It requires the strategy to propose mechanisms for public monitoring, complaints from children and youth, updates and parliamentary oversight; it does not require those mechanisms to be implemented.
The bill does not set a deadline for putting the strategy into effect or require the government to carry out its plan.
It does not say whether or how the proposed monitoring, complaint, update and oversight mechanisms must be adopted.
It does not explain how the strategy would coordinate with existing programs or with provincial and territorial responsibilities.
The preamble refers to obtaining Indigenous peoples’ free, prior and informed consent on relevant strategy content. The operative provisions require consultation with Indigenous representatives but do not expressly require their consent.
The bill does not set out how progress would be measured in practice, or what data would be used.
A possible argument for the bill is that shared national objectives and measurable indicators could make progress easier to assess.
Requiring an evidence-based assessment and a plan for unmet objectives could help identify where action is needed, including immediate action and prevention.
The consultation duties give children and youth, Indigenous representatives and other groups a formal role in developing the strategy.
Regular reports and five-year reviews could give Parliament and the public recurring information about development and implementation.
One concern is that the bill requires a strategy and reports, but does not require governments to fund or carry out the strategy’s plan.
The objectives are broad and ambitious, but the bill does not specify the actions, budget or timeline needed to meet them.
The bill calls for consultation across jurisdictions but does not assign duties to provincial or municipal governments.
It is unclear whether the proposed accountability mechanisms would be adopted, and the bill does not expressly require Indigenous consent to the strategy.