The Canadian Children’s Charter: A call to action to respect, protect and fulfil the rights of Canada’s children
Children First Canada
The Canadian Children’s Charter was created with input from thousands of children and youth from coast to coast to coast. The process began in 2017, as young Canadians from all walks of life contributed their ideas through online forums, workshops and a survey. The consultations culminated in a National Summit in Ottawa on National Child Day in November 2017, where children and youth worked together with adult allies from government, civil society and the private sector to create the first draft of the Canadian Children’s Charter. The draft was released in a press conference at the National Media Gallery on Parliament Hill on November 22, 2017, and widely disseminated across the country. Further consultations took place in the months that followed, and children and youth gathered again at the Charter Forum in Ottawa in June 2018 to further revise the draft. A working group of children and youth then worked to finalize the document in its current format. The Children’s Charter has taken many forms, including as a written document, as well in creative forms that represent the themes and issues requiring urgent action, including pictures, drama and music.