Securing Our Future: Transforming Child Health Through Accountability & Strategic Leadership
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Children’s Healthcare Canada, the Pediatric Chairs of Canada, the Canadian Association of Paediatric Nurses and Inspiring Healthy Futures acknowledge the federal government's response to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Health (HESA) Child Health Study.
While we appreciate the attention given to critical areas of child and youth health, including the mental health crisis, pediatric drug access, and efforts to address physician shortages, we urge for more decisive action and robust accountability measures to drive meaningful improvements in health outcomes for Canada's children and youth.
A central concern remains the need to implement a National Child Strategy, that would align federal, provincial, and territorial efforts under a unified vision for child health in Canada. This strategy must address the full spectrum of child healthcare, from prevention and primary care to specialized services, mental health, and social determinants of health. It should include a dedicated office for a Chief Child Health Officer who can provide the necessary accountability framework to oversee the implementation of this strategy and ensure its success.
The absence of a dedicated Child and Youth Health Human Resources plan is a critical gap that must be addressed urgently. The federal government's efforts to support training and recruitment through the 2023 healthcare agreements are a positive step, but these must be expanded to include a dedicated plan for child and youth-specific health human resources. Canada needs a focused effort to address the shortages in pediatricians, specialized nurses, and child health professionals to ensure that all children in Canada have timely access to care. Streamlining the process for internationally trained healthcare professionals to become registered and work in their chosen fields will be essential in alleviating workforce shortages and strengthening child and youth healthcare across the country.
We also call for enhanced data-sharing frameworks between provinces and territories, allowing us to track outcomes, identify best practices, and hold our systems accountable. We urge the government to develop an integrated, cross-sector, cross-jurisdiction child health data strategy to accelerate knowledge mobilization and improve health services.
Finally, we emphasize the importance of accountability in the allocation of funding for children’s healthcare. The government’s inclusion of the $2 billion top-up and the 5 percent CHT growth guarantee, particularly its potential use to address pediatric backlogs, is a welcome development. However, without clear direction on how this funding will be allocated and tracked, there is a continued risk that children and youth will not experience the full benefit of these additional resources.
We urge the federal government to work collaboratively withthe provinces and territories to provide detailed reports specifically on how healthcare funds are being used to reduce pediatric backlogs, improve wait times, and enhance access to child-focused services such as surgeries, diagnostics, and mental health support. Wait times for child and youth health services are at an all-time high, and without a focused approach, children will continue to suffer the consequences of delayed care. A national child and youth health performance dashboard would ensure transparency and accountability in how these funds are used, tracking improvements in access, outcomes, and patient satisfaction for children, youth and families across Canada. While we appreciate the steps taken thus far, the time for transformative change is now.
We stand ready to collaborate with the government and other partners to implement these crucial measures, ensuring that every child in Canada has the opportunity to thrive. The health of our children is the foundation of our nation's future – let us act decisively to secure it.
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