Cue card for child rights impact assessment.
This “cue card” is a resource for elected officials to consider the potential impacts of government decisions on children and youth. Members of Parliament, Members of Provincial Parliaments and Legislatures, and Senators share with government officials a duty to respect, protect and fulfill the human rights of every child, Canada having ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1991. This “first duty” to children includes consideration of decisions to ensure children’s best interests are a priority, help secure their rights, and avoid or mitigate harmful or inequitable impacts on them. Governments are obligated to incorporate a process of Child Rights Impact Assessment in decision-making. Elected officials can use this resource to help ensure that the decisions they debate and shape are well-informed and good for every child.
“I would point out that in international law and Canadian law, the needs of the child must always be given priority when a bill is drafted. And whenever judges have to interpret legislation, they have a duty, an obligation, to consider the impact it may have on a child.”