On May 6, 2024, the Standing Committee on Health (HESA) tabled its long-awaited report on its study on Children’s Health. Titled Fostering Healthy Childhoods: A Foundation for Resilient Generations, the report includes 27 recommendations to the federal government to strengthen healthcare for Canada’s children and youth.
HealthCareCAN welcomes the release of the report and its recommendations, actions we, our members, and partners have been calling for to enhance the health of children and youth across the country. HealthCareCAN’s submission fully endorsed the recommendations made by Children’s Healthcare Canada, a HealthCareCAN member organization. HealthCareCAN also set out several complementary system-level recommendations to bolster healthcare for children and youth.
We are delighted to see several of these recommendations adopted by the Committee in its report, including that the federal government work with:
- the provinces and territories to devote an appropriate portion of new health transfer funds to pediatric surgical backlogs.
- the provinces and territories to increase mental health funding for children and devote an appropriate portion of the proposed mental health transfer to children.
- the provinces and territories to implement a national pediatric health human resources strategy, which would include increased access to team-based primary care.
- the provinces and territories to support expedited pathways to licensure and practice for internationally trained health care professionals.
- with the provinces and territories, to support the expansion of a stepped‑care approach and an integrated youth services model, including peer supports, to ensure that children and youth across Canada have access to wrap‑around mental health and substance use services.
- the provinces, territories, and Indigenous peoples, and consult with researchers, youth, and families, to develop a national pediatric health data strategy to facilitate the collecting and sharing of high-quality longitudinal and disaggregated data on children’s health indicators.
HealthCareCAN is also pleased to see several recommendations focused on: the health of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis children, including the full implementation of Jordan’s Principle and the Spirit Bear Plan; improving social determinants of health, such as increasing access to healthy food in schools and communities; and incorporating health, mental health, substance use, and online safety programs and supports within the education system for educators, students, and parents.
This week, Children’s Healthcare Canada released Beyond Bandaids: Delivering Healthcare Fit for Kids, a new report calling on the federal government to establish a National Children’s Strategy and designate a Chief Child Health Officer. These recommendations were echoed by HESA in its report.
“We envision a future where children’s healthcare systems are accessible, equitable, connected and purpose-built to meet the needs of children, youth and their families, and the highly specialized workforce that serves them.” said Emily Gruenwoldt, President & CEO of Children’s Healthcare Canada, “Optimizing healthcare systems for children and youth will require unprecedented collaboration between federal, provincial, territorial governments, healthcare delivery organizations and children’s healthcare advocates. We all have a role to play.”
HealthCareCAN eagerly awaits the federal government’s response to the report and will be following up with members of Parliament and government officials to push for the implementation of the Committee’s recommendations.
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