March 24, 2025
The Right Honourable Mark Carney, Prime Minister of Canada
The Honourable Pierre Poilievre, Leader of the Conservative Party of Canada
Yves-François Blanchet, Member of Parliament and Leader of the Bloc Québécois
Jagmeet Singh, Member of Parliament and Leader of the New Democratic Party,
Elizabeth May, Member of Parliament and Co-Leader of the Green
Maxime Bernier, Leader of the People’s Party of Canada
Greetings Prime Minister and Party Leaders,
We are writing to ask for the prioritization of children and youth in cabinet.
As of March 14, 2025, a Minister of Children, Families and Social Development, a Minister of
Women and Gender Equality and Youth, and a Minister of Mental Health and Addictions were
no longer included in cabinet. Whether this is a ‘war-time cabinet’ or an ‘election cabinet’ is indifferent.
It is the welfare and human rights of children and youth that are the priority of Defence For
Children International. We write to speak to this priority going forward from this juncture in
time.
We recognize all of these former portfolios worked to provide holistic approaches to the complex needs of children and youth across Canada. While the files are compacted within newly created portfolios, they are not prioritized.
Civil society leadership who serve children and youth require a dedicated partnership in Ottawa
not distracted with other issues within Cabinet. In the absence of Canada enacting a National
Child and Youth Advocate to date, a Ministerial portfolio is a bare minimum federal level
commitment.
Children are vulnerable by factor of their age alone.
Youth are the only individuals in Canada taxed without representation.
Multiple parties forming government continue to incentivize youth to work through funded programs. You all allow youth to vote in your party leadership races but not in general elections. And yet parties do not acknowledge their multi-sector service needs nor commit to meeting them
through the formalization of the files which support them under a dedicated Ministry.
Therefore, we call on all parties to include in your pending election policy platforms:
- A commitment to have children and youth predominately recognized within the title
of a Minister’s portfolio; and - A commitment to include priorities for children and youth within the mandate letter
of said Minister.
Whomever forms our next government and is given the leadership to set policy and present a budget for Canada, must bring the priorities of children and youth forward with you.
On behalf of the Defence For Children International – Canada board of directions, I share that
we eagerly stand at your service to assist in the prioritization of issues for this minister’s mandate letter.
Sincerely,
Dr. Wraychel Gilmore, Ph.D.
National Director
Defence For Children International – Canada
Canadian Observer to Defence For Children – European Region
