99.1 IMPLEMENTING THE CONVENTION ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD IN CANADA
Whereas, Canada is a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child;
and,
Whereas, Canada has been slow to implement the terms of the Convention on the Rights of the Child;
and,
Whereas, The number of children in Canada living below the poverty line, as determined by Statistics Canada, is increasing;
and,
Whereas, The Government of Canada is not providing enough resources to help children who are victims of abuse;
and,
Whereas, The Government of Canada is not providing enough resources to enable the provincial and territorial governments to provide adequate shelter, health services, and education opportunities for Canadian children;
therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the National Council of Women of Canada (NCWC) urge the Government of Canada, in cooperation with the governments of the Provinces and Territories, to undertake to implement the articles of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child by:
- Acting to raise living standards of the poorest Canadian children (Article 27);
- Providing adequate funding for the courts and social agencies to ensure that children are protected from abuse and neglect (Articles 18 & 19);
- Ensuring that health services for children are of the highest standard and equally available to all children (Article 24);
- Enabling all children to have equal access to education, including post-secondary (Articles 31 & 32).