Launched in 2018, Raising Canada is an annual research report on the state of the nation’s children. Each year, the report tracks the most pressing threats to childhood in Canada, examines emerging risks, and highlights cross-cutting issues such as access to healthcare, social services, and meaningful youth engagement.
For more than a decade, the quality of life for children in Canada has been in decline. Today, Canada ranks among the lowest of wealthy nations for protecting children’s well-being, and we continue to fall behind our global peers.
Raising Canada 2025 reveals that the situation has reached a critical point: children’s quality of life is deteriorating, and equity-deserving groups—including First Nations, Métis, and Inuit children, racialized communities, 2SLGBTQIA+ youth, and young people with disabilities—are disproportionately affected.
This year’s findings serve as both a warning and a call to action. The report shines a light on the urgent challenges facing children in Canada today, and it offers clear recommendations for government, community leaders, and Canadians everywhere.
• The latest data on the top 10 threats to childhood
• An equity, diversity, and inclusion lens applied throughout
• An analysis of how threats are interconnected and compounding
• Action-oriented recommendations for policy and practice
Click here for previous reports.
The findings of Raising Canada 2025 make it clear: we cannot afford to wait. The report urges policymakers to prioritize children’s rights and well-being, and it calls on all Canadians—parents, teachers, healthcare providers, business leaders, community organizations, and youth themselves—to step up and take action.
Children today are facing unprecedented challenges, but their future is not predetermined. With urgent action and meaningful investment, Canada can change course. Every one of us has a role to play in shaping a brighter, safer future for our children.
The time to act is now. Our children deserve nothing less.
“As Children First Canada marks its 10th anniversary, the work ahead is as urgent as ever. While progress has been made, today’s challenges demand immediate, collective action. This milestone is both a reflection and a renewed call for every sector of society to ensure
children’s rights are realized and every child in Canada is empowered to thrive.”
– Sara Austin, Founder and CEO of Children First Canada.
Endorsed by our Youth Advisory Council, Young Canadians’ Parliament, and Council of Champions, these actions form the framework for change:
Change is not just government’s responsibility—every Canadian has a role to play. Together, we can build a future where every child thrives.
Children First Canada gratefully recognizes the generous support of the Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) and CHEO for making the Raising Canada 2025 report possible.
View the 2022 Raising Canada event below:
Associate Vice-President, Social Impact (Canada), TD Bank
Opening Remarks
President and CEO, The Economic Club of Canada, Founder of The Jr. Economic Club of Canada, CEO & Co-Founder of The Global Institute for Conscious Economics (GICE), and Member of the Council of Champions at Children First Canada
Moderator
Assistant Chief Statistician of the Social, Health and Labour Statistics Field at Statistics Canada
Founder and CEO of Children First Canada
Youth Advisory Council Member, Children First Canada
Director, Margaret and Wallace McCain Centre for Child, Youth & Family Mental Health, CAMH
Health reporter and columnist for The Globe and Mail
Moderator
District Vice President, Calgary Central, TD
Opening Remarks
Senior Vice-President, IG Wealth Management
Director, Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute, Professor, Department of Paediatrics, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Husky Energy Chair in Child and Maternal Health, and Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation Chair in Pediatric Research
Founder and CEO of Children First Canada
Director of Brand Management, SureCall
Youth Panelist
Yukon Regional Chief, Assembly of First Nations
Help spread the word about the top 10 threats to childhood. Don’t know where to start? We’ve got you covered. Check out our infographic and Calls to Action which you can share
on social media.
Did you know that almost one in five children lives in poverty? Check out our infographic for more statistics about the top 10 threats facing kids and the impacts of COVID-19.
Children First Canada is launching a drawing contest for children 13 and under across Canada. Selected artwork will win some great prizes and be featured in our upcoming Raising Canada report, due out later this year.
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Annual ‘Raising Canada’ report includes urgent calls for action by government Calgary, AB – As kids head back to school, a new report on the state of the nation’s children sounds the alarm on the top 10 threats to childhood. For the first time ever, the annual Raising Canada report...
Launched in 2018, Raising Canada is an annual series of reports that track the top 10 threats to childhood. The report sheds light on the reality that one-third of kids in Canada do not enjoy a safe and healthy childhood. For more than a decade, the state of childhood in...
CALGARY, ALTA, September 7, 2022 – As children across the country get ready for the new school year, Raising Canada 2022 tracks the top 10 threats to childhood – including poor mental health, food insecurity, systemic racism, child abuse and climate change – underscoring children are in crisis across the...
