A National Children's Agenda: Developing a Shared Vision

Children are Canada's strength, today and in the future. That's why federal, provincial and territorial governments are committed to working with Canadians to create a National Children's Agenda*.

We need to work towards a shared vision of what we want for our children. We need common concepts of our priorities for children and our collective responsibilities toward our youngest citizens. Most of all, we need to find a way to put our vision and values into words, and our words into action.

The publication, A National Children's Agenda - Developing a Shared Vision, is an invitation to think about children. Canadians are invited to imagine a society that values children for who they are, and that provides opportunities for every child to achieve his or her full potential.

VISION: What do we want for our children?

• Canadians want their country to be one where all children thrive in an atmosphere of love, care and understanding, are valued as individuals in childhood and are given opportunities to reach their full potential as adults.
• Children who are respected and protected from harm will grow up to respect and protect the rights of others. Valued, nurtured and loved, they will grow up able to contribute to a society that appreciates diversity, supports the less able and shares its resources.
• Given the opportunity to develop their physical, intellectual, emotional, social and spiritual capacities to their fullest, children will become tomorrow's successful and enthusiastic parents, caregivers, workers and citizens.

• We respect the voices of all children and recognize their inherent worth: we value children for who they are now, as much as who they will become.

• We believe in protecting children's best interests: we believe that protecting the interests of children is a basic social responsibility.

• We believe we can support children by supporting parents and families: we believe that children grow up best within families that are able to provide security, nurturing, respect and love.

• We understand the value of working together: we believe that educators, coaches, caregivers and other mentors make powerful contributions to children's growth and well-being.

• We believe in reflecting the diversity of our country: we believe that our goals should reflect the richness and diversity of Canadian culture and the unique needs of each child.

• We honour Canada's Aboriginal traditions: we recognize and respect the special importance of parents, elders and extended families in nurturing Aboriginal children.

• Good Health - Children should be as physically, emotionally and spiritually healthy as they can be, with strong self-esteem, coping skills and enthusiasm.
• Safety and Security - Children's basic needs for food, shelter, clothing and transportation must be met. Children must be protected from abuse, neglect, discrimination, exploitation and danger.
• Success at Learning - Children should have opportunities to reach their potential for good physical and social development, language skills, literacy, numeracy and general knowledge. They should be ready to learn throughout their lives, so that they can develop the skills, knowledge and coping skills they need for a successful transition to adulthood.
• Social Engagement and Responsibility - Young children should be helped to form stable attachments to nurturing adults, including strong, supportive relationships within and outside their families. They should be taught to respect themselves and others, and to value the cultural heritage and diversity of others. They should be encouraged to develop an understanding of the rights and responsibilities of belonging to a wider society, and to understand the personal and social consequences of their choices.

1. Support the role of parents and strengthen families, because they play the primary role in children's lives.

2. Enhance early childhood development because the first few years are important for children's lifelong abilities, health and well-being.

3. Improve economic security for families to help maximize child well-being.

4. Provide early and continuous learning experiences, so that children become lifelong learners.

5. Foster strong adolescent development by giving youth opportunities, skills and a sense of belonging.

6. Create supportive, safe and violence-free communities where children can thrive.

How will we measure success?

We need better information about children's development and well-being in order to do our best for them. Communities, Aboriginal peoples, researchers, individual Canadians and governments can work together to find ways to track the progress of all girls and boys, and to use this knowledge as a beacon to guide our efforts.

We also want to find better ways of sharing information on successful initiatives, to make sure we're really putting our knowledge to work. A National Children's Agenda will allow us to improve the lives of Canada's children, today and in the future.

What's Next

Governments* will be sitting down with key partners to encourage dialogue about the vision, values, goals and areas for action proposed for the National Children's Agenda. The purpose of the dialogue is to develop a strong vision for children by building common ground on what we as Canadians want for our children. At the end of the dialogue process, governments will incorporate the views of Canadians into a vision document and report back so that the vision can guide all of our efforts to improve the lives of Canada's children.

All Canadians are welcome to provide governments with their views on the National Children's Agenda. There are several ways to send in their comments: in writing, to National Children's Agenda, 10^th Floor, 280 Albert Street, Ottawa, Ontario, K1P 5G8.

Written comments can also be submitted through the National Children's Agenda Web site at www.children-enfants.org.

Canadians can also provide their views by calling 1-800-361-6392. The operators at this number can also provide information on public dialogue opportunities related to the National Children's Agenda in the provinces and territories.

*The Government of Quebec agrees with the objectives of the National Children's Agenda. However, the Government of Quebec has decided not to participate in its development because it wishes to assume full control over programs aimed at families and children within its territory. Furthermore, the Government of Quebec has not signed the Social Union framework agreement. Consequently, any references to joint federal-provincial-territorial positions in this text do not include Quebec.