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December 7, 1998
The Progress of Canada's Children 1998
The long-term goal of The Progress of Canada's Children is to measure indicators of the well-being of our children and youth from year to year. This third edition reveals changes that have occurred over the 1990s. It also presents new data on areas where Canadian children are doing well and others where concern is warranted.
This 72-page report presents a wealth of data and information about children and youth, organized into two main sections. The first section assesses important inputs into child well-being such as economic security, physical safety, and community resources. The second section reviews how children and youth are faring by assessing outcomes such as learning achievements, health status, and youth employment.
The Canadian Council on Social Development is one of Canada's leading research organizations. It is an independent, national, non-profit organization focusing on issues of social and economic security. Major funding for this project was provided by the Laidlaw Foundation, with additional support from Health Canada, Canadian Heritage, and the National Crime Prevention Centre.
Highlights from The Progress of Canada's Children 1998
Portrait of Children and Youth
A growing number of Canadian children and youth were born outside the country. Between 1991 and 1996, the number of immigrant children grew by 26 per cent, and the number of immigrant youth (aged 15 to 24) grew by seven per cent. In Toronto and Vancouver, more than one in four youth aged 15 to 24 was born outside Canada. -
Young people make up more than half of Canada's Aboriginal population. Less than one-third of Aboriginal youth live in large urban areas, compared to nearly two-thirds of all young Canadians.
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Street youth form a small but troubling group of Canada's youth. A Montreal study found that over 60 per cent had left abusive homes, and 40 per cent were intravenous drug users. There are no reliable estimates of the number of Canada's homeless youth.
What contributes to child and youth well-being?
Family Life
The number of children under 12 whose parents separate or divorce has tripled in the last 20 years. The majority of children under 12 remain with their mothers after separation. -
Children in lone-parent families are at greater risk of poor development than other children if their family is very poor or lives in an unsafe neighbourhood.
Economic Security
Long-term unemployment among families with children fell between 1994 and 1996. The number of families worried about job losses also decreased. However, in 1996, average family after-tax incomes were $43,400, down from $43,700 in 1994. -
Spending on essentials ate up less of family income in 1996 compared to 1992. However, lower-income families still spent more each month on all expenditures than they earned, while high-income families increased their savings ability.
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The gap between rich and poor families grew by more than $3,000 between 1994 and 1996. The number of poor children grew from 1.36 million in 1994 to 1.5 million in 1996, raising the child poverty rate from 19.5 to 21 per cent.
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The poverty rate for urban Canadian youth grew between 1991 and 1996. Youth poverty rates are highest in Montreal, Vancouver, Halifax and Toronto.
Physical Safety
Young people's use of bike helmets increased between 1994 and 1996, but those who wear them are still a minority. -
Canada's crime rate declined for the sixth consecutive year in 1997. The murder rate hit its lowest point since 1969.
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Canada's rate of child deaths due to gun use is among the worst in developed countries. Among 26 developed nations, only the United States, Finland, Northern Ireland and Israel have higher rates of gun-related deaths.
Community Resources
University costs are rising. The average undergraduate tuition fee increased by seven per cent between 1997 and 1998, and the average undergraduate student debt load upon graduation have risen by nearly 50 per cent since 1995. -
Housing is less affordable for a growing number of families. Between 1991 and 1996, housing affordability problems grew, particularly among young and lone-parent families, and social housing construction stopped in most provinces.
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Health care is the top issue of concern among Canadians.
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Cost restricts access to recreational activities for low-income families. Less than half of low-income families with children spend money on user fees for recreational activities, compared to 72 per cent of high-income families.
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The number of people using food banks in Canada has more than doubled in the last decade. Forty-two per cent of people who depend on food banks for all or part of their food are children and youth under 18.
Civic Vitality
Municipal youth-friendly initiatives are growing. Seven of 21 Canadian cities surveyed have a youth advisory committee, up from three of 19 cities surveyed in 1997. -
The number of Canadians volunteering their time rose by two million between 1987 and 1997, and the number of volunteer hours rose by nine per cent. Nearly 40 per cent of volunteer hours were spent on social service and recreational activities, many of which benefit children and youth.
How are children and youth faring?
Health
An estimated 57,000 Canadian children under 12 experienced hunger due to lack of food or money in 1994. The majority of hungry children lived with lone parents and a high proportion were Aboriginal. -
Teen smoking rates have risen dramatically between 1990 and 1996 – from 21 to nearly 30 per cent.
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Sexually transmitted diseases among teens have decreased since 1990, but pregnancy rates have increased.
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The rate of injury deaths among teen aged 15 to 19 decreased from 49.7 per 100,000 population in 1991, to 42.4 in 1995.
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About 15 per cent of young people aged 20 to 24 are overweight, although twice that proportion of young women think they are overweight.
Social Engagement
More young Canadians are volunteering their time. Between 1987 and 1997, the youth volunteer rate nearly doubled – from 18 to 33 per cent. -
More than 90 per cent of young people aged 12 to 24 say they have someone they can confide in and count on. Young women are more likely to have high levels of social support than are young men.
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Youth crime rates dropped for the sixth consecutive year. For the second consecutive year, charges against youth for violent crimes dropped.
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Bullying among children is a serious concern. New data indicate that one in seven Canadian boys between four and 11 bully other children, and about one in 11 girls do so.
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The number of missing children increased by almost 2,000 in 1997. Runaways make up the largest proportion of missing children, and 60 per cent of them are teenage girls.
Learning
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More young women are earning post-secondary degrees. Their rate of enrolment in all fields of study is at least 25 per cent higher than a decade ago, although they are still under-represented in engineering, applied and physical sciences, and mathematics courses.
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One in three Canadian youth aged 16 to 25 have the highest level of literacy skills, second only to Swedish youth. However, Canada also has the third largest proportion of youth with poor literacy skills – 10 per cent.
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Children's access to extracurricular learning opportunities varies according to family income. Children in high-income families are three times as likely to participate in such activities as children from lower-income households.
Labour Force Profile of Youth
Teen unemployment has risen significantly. Less than half of teens had summer jobs in 1997, down from two-thirds in 1989. -
Young parents' employment rates and earnings dropped dramatically in the 1990s. However, more parents under 25 are attending school, improving their long-term earning potential.
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Most homeless youth are unemployed. An estimated 30 per cent have legitimate jobs. The rest turn to panhandling and the drug and sex trades.
Policy Initiatives for Children and Youth
The National Child Benefit came into effect in 1998. Each province has announced complementary initiatives to decrease child poverty and increase work incentives for low-income parents. -
Changes to the Young Offenders Act have been proposed to increase sentences for youth convicted of serious crimes. Meanwhile, the federal government has increased funds for a national community safety and crime prevention initiative.
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Newfoundland has adopted a strategic social plan to reduce youth unemployment and child poverty, among other goals.
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Ontario has launched a new program to provide greater support to families with young children who are at increased risk of developmental problems.
The Progress of Canada's Children 1998 - Related Material
Canadian Council on Social Development,
309 Cooper Street, 5th Floor,
Ottawa, Ontario, K2P 0G5
Tel: (613) 236-8977, Fax: (613) 236-2750, Web: www.ccsd.ca, Email: council@ccsd.ca
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