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A thousand children are born in Canada every day. Making sure they have the love, safety, respect and opportunities they need during childhood is a key responsibility for parents, families, communities and society as a whole.

In the spring and summer of 1999, Canada’s federal, provincial and territorial governments* held a public dialogue with Canadians. Participants in the dialogue were asked to consider a vision, values and goals for Canada’s children as proposed by the National Children’s Agenda. They also discussed how to gather and share information about children’s well-being, and how to measure their progress. Participants expressed strong support for the vision, values and goals set out by the National Children’s Agenda. Improvements were also suggested, and these are reflected in the amended vision statements included with this report.

The public dialogue was an important step forward in building a consensus for putting children first in our society. We would like to thank everyone who participated. The care and insights contributed by representatives from community organizations, the five national aboriginal organizations, individual Canadians, and by parents, families, and children themselves will help to ensure that Canada’s vision for children will promote their well-being, both in the near term and for years to come.

Signed,
Federal-Provincial-Territorial Council of Ministers on Social Policy Renewal