A growing Canada needs supports for Canadian families who choose to have children. Robust family supports mean more people working, more jobs, and more economic growth.
Well-being among children and youth is key to their future development, health, success and quality of life. It is critical to Canada's ability to prepare youth for full participation in society and the economy, and to Canada’s attractiveness to those who wish to raise a family.
Canada ranked 26th of 32 OECD countries on youth well-being in 2018.
The percentage of students who reported always feeling sad was 9% in Canada in 2018.
Top 10 OECD countries on youth well-being.
Threshold: Slovenia was 10th in the OECD in 2018 with 5% of students who reported always feeling sad.
The well-being of Canada’s youth is well below comparator countries according to several assessments. Youth well-being in Canada has also been negatively affected by the pandemic, particularly due to its disruptions to education, rise of isolation and impacts on mental health.
Poverty among children and youth can have a negative impact over the long-term. It can be a barrier to children’s development and limit access to opportunity in the future. The rate of child and youth poverty in Canada reflects the quality of living standards for families.
4.7% of Canadians under the age of 18 were in low income in 2020.
Continued decrease in child poverty in Canada, toward the federal government goal to eliminate it.
Canada experienced a significant decline in child and youth poverty in 2020, following steady decreases in recent years. The decline in 2020 was closely connected to pandemic-related supports that were provided that year. However, these supports were temporary. It is unlikely that the significant reduction in poverty will be sustained in future years without similar levels of support.
The employment rate of mothers is a key enabler of Canada’s social and economic progress, as women’s contributions are crucial to the country’s long-term success. Women’s labour force participation contributes to increased productivity and reduced earnings inequality.
Canada ranked 12th out of 36 OECD countries on maternal employment rate.
Canada had a maternal employment rate of 76.5% in 2021.
Top 10 OECD countries on maternal employment rate.
Threshold: 10th in the OECD had a maternal employment rate of 77.6%.
The employment rate of mothers rebounded in 2021 to pre-pandemic levels after a fall in 2020. However, rates remain lower for mothers than for women with no children, as well as lower than men with or without children. Rates are also lower for mothers with lower educational attainment.
Paid parental leave can help to support maternal and infant well-being. It supports new parents and particularly mothers to temporarily exit employment with job security and income support. Robust leave options can contribute to supporting Canadians’ choices on family size.
Among recent mothers with insurable employment (which is about 77.8% of recent mothers), 91% of new mothers living in Canada (outside of Québec) reported having received parental benefits, and 19.5% of spouses reported receiving benefits in 2020.
Increasing trend in uptake of parental leave for mothers and fathers outside of Québec.
There have been some increases in recent years in the number of new mothers with insurable employment receiving parental benefits across Canada. However, the proportion is much higher in Québec, which has a more generous system, with nearly all new mothers with insurable employment receiving benefits. The proportion of all new mothers receiving parental leave benefits, including those without insurable employment, is much lower than among those with insurable employment.
Robust systems for quality and accessible early childhood education and care can improve children’s well-being and learning. They can help parents, particularly mothers, enter or re-enter the labour force. They can also contribute to supporting Canadians’ choices on family size and newcomer families’ transition to Canada.
Canada had 51.6% of children aged 0 to 5 in some form of child care (outside of the immediate family, not including kindergarten) in 2022.
Increased levels of participation in early learning and child care, particularly regulated child care.
Participation in some form of child care remained about the same in 2022 as it was during the pandemic and is down from before the pandemic. A commitment to a Canada-wide early learning and child care system has been a big step to improve access to regulated child care. However, implementation remains a challenge with significant variation in approaches across the country.
