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January 25, 2000
Progress Report at a Glance
Portrait of Children and Youth
Most children live in two-parent families. In 1996, 84% of the 5.5 million children up to age 13 lived with two parents. However, the proportion of lone-parent families has doubled over the past 35 years, from 11% to 22%.
More than half of all Aboriginal people in Canada are children and youth. Canada's 424,000 Aboriginal young people make up 5% of all children under age 15 in the country and 4% of youth aged 15 to 24.
More young Canadians live in families that speak a language other than English or French. Between 1991 and 1996, the proportion of children aged 14 and under in families speaking a language other than English or French rose from 6.5% to 7.5%. The most commonly used non-official language was Chinese.
What contributes to child and youth well-being?
Family Life
Family life is positive for most children. In 1996, only 7% of children up to age 13 were living in families considered to be "dysfunctional," a slight improvement since 1994. In addition, the proportion of parents who don't use physical punishment is increasing.
More families are having trouble balancing their work and family responsibilities. Between 1991 and 1998, the proportion of workers with dependants who reported excess tension due to work/family conflicts increased from 38% to 44%.
More youth are delaying leaving home. Between 1981 and 1996, the proportion of youth aged 20 to 24 still living at home increased from 43% to 57%.
Economic Security
Only one-third of Canadians say their financial situation has improved over the past two or three years. Just under half of Canadians with incomes above $60,000 say their situation is improving, but less than one-fifth of those with incomes under $30,000 reported an improvement.
Income disparities among families continue to grow. In 1996, the poorest Canadian families brought home 13% of all earnings, down from 17% in 1989. A child's chances of living in poverty in the 1990s increased if they lived with young parents, a lone parent, or if their parent was a member of a visible minority group.
Child poverty rates remain high. The number of poor children in Canada dropped by 7% between 1996 and 1997, but there were still 50% more poor children than in 1989.
Physical Safety
Children and youth are safer from crime. Since 1991, the national crime rate has fallen by almost 22%. In 1998, the rate of violent crime fell for the sixth consecutive year.
Fewer youth are killed in car crashes. Graduated licensing systems adopted in six provinces are helping to reduce car crashes, with Ontario, Nova Scotia and Quebec reporting dramatic declines in their fatal collision rates.
Dangerous chemicals in food, air and water still pose poorly measured risks to Canadian children. National legislation governing the use of pesticides is 30 years old.
Children are being exposed to toxins from mould in schools. Mould is most commonly found in portable classrooms with poor ventilation and drainage.
The majority of young teens feel safe at school most of the time. Just over half of children aged 10 to 13 feel safe at school all the time, and about one-third feel safe most of the time. One-quarter say that other kids say mean things to them and 9% report being bullied.
Community Resources
Child care spaces in most provinces have decreased or remained static over the last five years. Meanwhile, 81% of Canadians support more government action on child care.
Public spending on education rose by about 3% between 1992 and 1996, but it fell as a proportion of gross national product.
University fees increased in all provinces except Quebec and BC between 1998 and 1999. Students in Nova Scotia and Ontario pay the highest tuition fees, averaging about $4,000 per year.
More children are coming into the care of child welfare agencies. Experts attribute this to heightened public awareness over the 1990s about the seriousness of child abuse and neglect, to stronger legislation, and worsening conditions among the poor.
Homelessness among children is rising. In Toronto alone, the number of families admitted to hostels increased by 76% between 1988 and 1996, with more than 5,000 children homeless in 1996.
Children are part of the growing population of food bank users. More than 40% of all food bank recipients are under age 18. In March 1999, on average, one of every 38 Canadians went to a food bank.
Civic Vitality
The number of Canadians giving money to charities increased slightly between 1997 and 1998, while the median Canadian donation remained constant at $170. Residents of Prince Edward Island gave the most, Quebeckers the least.
The proportion of Canadians voting in federal elections declined in every province in the 1990s.
How are children and youth faring?
Health
The infant mortality rate continues to fall. Canada ranks ahead of the US and New Zealand, but behind Japan and Scandinavian countries. However, infant mortality rates for Aboriginal children in Canada are higher than for other children. The Northwest Territories reported the highest rate, at 11 deaths per 1,000 live births.
Breastfeeding rates are rising. In 1996, more than 75% of children under age 2 had been breastfed, up from 69% in 1994. Breastfeeding rates increased in all provinces, with Alberta showing the highest rate - 90%.
Reported asthma rates among children and youth are increasing. About 14% of teens in 1996 were reported to be asthma sufferers, as were 8% of children under the age of 4.
Respiratory illness is the leading cause of hospital admissions for children under age 10 in Canada. It accounted for over 40% of admissions for children aged 1 to 4 and one-third of admissions among those aged 5 to 9.
More teens are smoking. In 1996/97, almost one-third of youth aged 15 to 19 smoked. Since 1990, smoking among women aged 15 to 19 has increased from 21 to 31%; among men, it has risen from 22 to 27%.
The risk of sexually transmitted diseases among teens is worrisome. More than one-quarter of reported HIV cases in Canada are among youth aged 20 to 29. About half of sexually active women aged 15 to 19 and one-third of young men reported having unprotected sex in 1994.
Social Engagement
Canadian youth value kindness and honesty. A national poll found that more than 90% of youth consider it important to help those who are worse off than themselves. More than 75% of young Canadians feel it is important to have a lifelong partner, and more than 60% think it is important to have children.
More young women report having close friends. The proportion of children in Grades 6 and 8 who reported having fewer than two close friends dropped between 1990 and 1998, especially among Grade 8 girls. But in 1998, fewer boys than in 1990 reported having friends in whom they could confide.
More than 300,000 children under age 12 witnessed some violence in their homes in 1996, down 8% from 1994. Children who witness violence are more likely to experience feelings of anxiety and fear, and to engage in antisocial behaviours such as fighting and bullying.
Youth crime rates are declining. Between 1997 and 1998, the rate of criminal charges against youth dropped by 4%. Youth property crimes have been declining since 1991, although violent crimes rose in the early 1990s and began to drop only slightly after 1995.
Learning
Parents of more than half of all children aged 8 to 13 place high value on their child's school grades. Parents of more than 80% of children aged 6 to 13 help their child with homework at least once a week. The proportion drops as children get older.
Parents with low incomes read to their young children and help their older children with their homework as often as parents in other income groups. However, they are less likely to participate at their child's school.
Young Canadians aged 13 and 16 are reading and writing at levels generally expected by experts. However, in 1998, fewer 13-year-olds showed abilities at the very highest achievement levels than in 1994. Young women continued to score better than young men on tests of reading and writing abilities in 1998.
Between 1994 and 1996, the proportion of 4- and 5-year-olds who play computer and video games at least a few times a week grew. Canadian boys are more likely than girls to play computer and video games.
Labour Force Profile of Youth
In 1998, the youth unemployment rate was just over 15%. While this was down from over 17% in the 1990s, the unemployment rate for adults in 1998 was less than 7%.
The number of self-employed Canadian youth is growing. In 1996, nearly 80,000 Canadians aged 15 to 24 were self-employed, an increase of 14,000 from 1991. Nearly 15,000 young Canadians had their own businesses before age 25.
More than 80% of post-secondary graduates who completed their studies in 1995 had found jobs by 1997. However, only 41% of those working full-time had jobs directly related to their field of study.
Policy Initiatives for Children and Youth
Quebec has been a leader in developing family policies, introducing significant changes in tax and income benefits, and services for families with children. They include $5 per day child care for preschoolers and increased housing assistance for low- and moderate-income families.
Canada's new Youth Criminal Justice Act was introduced. It will replace the Young Offenders Act and it encourages alternatives to the court system for youth who have committed minor crimes.
New First Nations child care facilities have been established in Saskatchewan. Federal funding helped develop 39 new First Nations child care facilities between 1996 and 1999.
The federal government has stated its intention to improve family benefits, starting in 2000. Commitments include increasing parental benefits under the EI program and increasing the Child Tax Benefit.
Progress of Canada's Children 1999/2000 - Related Material
Canadian Council on Social Development,
190 O'Connor Street, Suite 100,
Ottawa, Ontario, K2P 2R3
Tel: (613) 236-8977, Fax: (613) 236-2750, Web: www.ccsd.ca, Email: council@ccsd.ca
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