Opportunity Lost: Canada’s Budget Overlooks the Power of Investing in Kids
OTTAWA – November 4, 2025 — The federal budget has been tabled, and once again, the health of children, youth and families remains largely absent from Canada’s national priorities.
Children’s Healthcare Canada (CHC) and the Pediatric Chairs of Canada (PCC) welcome the government’s continued commitments to the national school food program and affordable childcare. However, those working to deliver essential child and youth health services across the country continue to wait for the investments needed to modernize pediatric care and improve outcomes for more than eight million children.
Since the start of the 45th Parliament, Children’s Healthcare Canada and the Pediatric Chairs of Canada have urged the federal government to put children’s health back on the national policy agenda. Alongside many partners, we have been steadfast in our advocacy for strategic, measurable investments that improve experiences and outcomes of care, strengthen families, and build a more equitable future.
Budget 2025 was an opportunity for Canada to demonstrate that children are at the heart of public policy. Instead, the silence speaks volumes.
Why It Matters
UNICEF’s Report Card 19 (2025) ranks Canada 24th out of 36 high-income countries for children’s physical health and 33rd for adolescent suicide. These outcomes are not inevitable—they reflect policy choices.
The Thrive report, prepared by Deloitte and commissioned by Children’s Healthcare Canada and Canada’s Children’s Hospital Foundations, shows that every dollar invested in children’s health and healthcare yields up to $5 in return through improved productivity, reduced chronic disease burden, and stronger communities.
While Budget 2025 includes welcome funding to support health research, international recruitment initiatives, and infrastructure to strengthen Canada’s universities and hospitals—it stops short of directing any of these resources toward addressing the crisis in children’s physical and mental health. Without a clear plan or targeted funding for children's health priorities, Canada risks falling even further behind its peers.
Budget 2025 was an opportunity for Canada to change course and put children, youth and families on a trajectory to thrive. It missed the mark—but the work continues. CHC and PCC will continue to push for coordinated, accountable action through Bill S-212 and beyond, to ensure that children and youth are no longer an afterthought in Canada’s fiscal and policy decisions.
When we invest in the health of children, we invest in the health of Canada.
Children’s Healthcare Canada (CHC) is a national association representing organizations that deliver health services to millions of children and youth each year. Its members include all 16 children’s hospitals, community hospitals, rehabilitation hospitals, home and respite care agencies, children’s treatment centres, and regional health authorities. CHC advocates to accelerate excellence and innovation in health systems serving children, youth, and their families across the continuum of care.
The Pediatric Chairs of Canada (PCC) represents the department heads of pediatrics within Canada’s 17 medical schools. PCC provides national leadership to advance pediatric education, research, and workforce planning in support of high-quality care for children and youth.
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Media Contact:
Marjolaine Provost
Director of Public Affairs, Children’s Healthcare Canada
mprovost@childhealthcan.ca | 613-897-2485