Canadians like to think of their country as a safe and healthy place to raise children but a new study has shown that's not always the case.
The Raising Canada report, compiled by a group called Children First Canada in conjunction with the University of Calgary's O'Brien Institute for Public Health, paints a startling picture of the state of Canada's children.
Released Tuesday, the report compiles statistics and information from a variety of studies and sources and looks at a range of areas impacting Canada's kids, from infant mortality to childhood obesity and adolescent mental health.
"This is the first report of its kind," said Sara Austin, founder and lead director of Children First Canada. "It's really harnessing lots of existing data and points to the areas for urgent action."
Many children bemoan a return to the classroom each year, but for many, Austin said, it signals a return to normalcy and stability. This is especially true for the 1.2 million kids countrywide, and 22 per cent of Nova Scotian children who are living in low-income households.
"Lots of kids have gone all summer without adequate nutrition or supervision and schools are, in many cases, a safe haven for young people," said Austin.
"We know that schools provide all kinds of resources, we also know our teachers and schools are struggling to keep up with that rise in demand."
Another critical area the study looked at was mental health. Suicide is the second leading cause of death among Canadian children and youth and Canada's suicide rate ranks among the top five countries globally.
According to the report, over the last 10 years, there has been a 66 per cent increase in emergency department visits, and a 55 per cent increase in hospitalizations, of children and youth due to mental health concerns. In Nova Scotia alone, 806 children were hospitalized for mental health concerns in 2016.
"That kids are having to show up in emergency rooms to get the mental health resources they need is an alarm bell sounding that kids are not getting the help they need in their homes and their schools," Austin said. "They need more long-term solutions to help our children thrive and achieve their full potential."
While mental health is a major concern, Canada's kids are also unhealthy in other ways, the report says.
In Canada, 27.9 per cent of children aged 12 to 17 reported being overweight or obese and Nova Scotia ranks as the third unhealthiest province, with 30.5 per cent of children classified as overweight or obese, according to Statistics Canada data included in the report.
"Over a quarter of Canadian children are either obese or overweight. That affects their day-to-day well-being, it also affects their long-term mental and physical health," Austin said. "Far too many children in our country simply don't have adequate nutrition and they're not getting enough physical exercise. "
Infant mortality is also shockingly high in Canada. According to the report, Canada has one of the worst rates among the three dozen Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development countries. Nova Scotia has the eighth-highest rate of infant mortality in the country with 4.9 deaths per 1,000, according to Statistics Canada. Nunavut has the highest rate, with 17.7 - more than double any other province.
"We are a healthy vibrant democracy, we are in the top five most prosperous nations in the world and yet our infants and young children are dying from preventable causes and there's so much we can do to improve the health and well-being of our children."
Investing in maternal health and nutrition, especially in Canada's north where infant mortality is the highest, would significantly improve outcomes in this area, Austin said.
The report also looks at child abuse, which it describes as a public health crisis in Canada. One in three Canadians report having suffered some form of child abuse before the age of 16.
"When you look at the statistics it can feel quite alarming and in many cases overwhelming. We're so far behind in so many areas but Canadians need to know that there are solutions to these problems and we can and must do better for our kids," Austin said.
Children First Canada is calling on the federal government to appoint a federal commission for children and youth as an independent office within government to work toward the best interests of children and hold government accountable. The organization is also asking the federal government to publish an annual children's budget so Canadians can see what resources are being allocated to remedy some of these issues, as well as the implementation of a Canadian children's charter that would protect the rights of young people.
"It really falls to us as Canadians and to our levels of government - municipal, provincial and federal - to rise to the challenge. If we continue to just put Band-Aids on these solutions, we're simply not going to get there," Austin said.
"We need to work as a society. We have this notion that it takes a village to raise a child, but it takes a nation to raise a nation."