Budget 2024 takes historic steps to address
child poverty, yet more progress is needed to reach every
child
TORONTO, April 16,
2024 /CNW/ - Children today are facing a 'polycrisis'
of generational shocks and stresses including high costs of living,
record-breaking rises in temperatures due to climate change, and
the lasting impacts of the most severe pandemic in a century. To
address this, Canada's 2024
federal budget needed to demonstrate a solid plan that puts
children and youth health and well-being back on the front
foot.
This budget takes important steps in that direction. The
announcement of a federal investment in a national School Food
program fulfills a promise UNICEF Canada and many other
advocates - including young people - have been calling
for. "Consistent access to nutritious food at home and at
school is the backbone of a healthy childhood," said Sevaun
Palvetzian, President & CEO of UNICEF Canada. "This investment
brings Canada closer to the day
when every child in our country has a healthy meal every day at
school; something that can make a tremendous difference in
children's health, learning and inclusion."
Canada's progress to provide
inclusive childcare is also advanced with Budget 2024. To get every
child off to the best start in life, Canada must continue to prioritize the care of
our youngest members of society including making care policies more
inclusive. This means ensuring every newborn has at least six
months of adequately paid, protected time with a parent or
caregiver at birth. Today, more women are in the workforce than
ever before, but close to one in three infants in Canada has a parent unable to access parental
leave due to the precarious nature of their employment or lack of
employment. Budget 2024 announces consultations toward a National
Caregiving Strategy: an opportunity to advance inclusive and better
parental leave. Early years are the foundational building blocks of
a child's life; there is no more impactful set of days in one's
life than our first 1,000.
Internationally, we welcome the commitment to invest an
additional $350 million over two years in international
humanitarian assistance. With conflict raging in Gaza, Sudan
and Haiti and many other
humanitarian crises growing in complexity, Canada's historic leadership in global
education, health and nutrition continues to be needed more than
ever. "Today, nearly a quarter of the world's children are living
in or fleeing from conflict zones," said Palvetzian. "Children
worldwide should not be paying with their lives and their futures.
As the host of the G7 Summit in 2025, Canada must continue to lead by example by
strengthening the critical services that children rely on, like
healthcare, water, sanitation and education."
Climate change is also worsening the scale and intensity of
global emergencies. Nearly half of the world's 2.2 billion
children are living in countries at extremely high risk of the
impacts of climate change. Canada's climate actions need to reflect the
unique and disproportionate impact on children: jeopardizing their
health, creating food and water insecurity, and limiting access to
education.
In a world increasingly affected by brutal conflicts, poverty,
and the effects of the climate crisis, Canada is demonstrating it has the tools and
resources to be a champion for children's rights and well-being.
Budget 2024 takes some important steps forward to address child
well-being and lays the groundwork for the other critical
commitments needed to ensure every child, everywhere, has the best
possible start in life.
About UNICEF
UNICEF is the world's leading humanitarian organization focused
on children. We work in the most challenging areas to provide
protection, healthcare and immunizations, education, safe water and
sanitation and nutrition. As part of the United Nations, our
unrivalled reach spans more than 190 countries and territories,
ensuring we are on the ground to help the most disadvantaged
children. While part of the UN system, UNICEF relies entirely on
voluntary donations to finance our life-saving work.
Please visit unicef.ca and follow us
on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
SOURCE UNICEF Canada