The Big Story What's putting Canadian youth at risk and how much longer do we have until there's no turning back?
10 snips
Sep 4, 2025 Sara Austin, CEO and founder of Children First Canada, passionately advocates for children's rights and well-being. She discusses alarming statistics from the Raising Canada report, revealing that over 70% of youth face bullying and 1.4 million children live in poverty. Austin emphasizes the critical need for early conversations about consent and the implementation of a national strategy to combat child poverty. With the upcoming parliamentary session, she urges policymakers to prioritize the issues impacting Canada’s youth.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Children's Rights Frame
- Children First Canada frames child wellbeing as rights protected by international law rather than charity.
- Youth were directly involved in research and solution design for the Raising Canada report.
Bullying Is Widespread And Unchecked
- Over 70% of Canadian youth aged 12–17 experienced bullying in the last year, with only a quarter feeling teachers took meaningful action.
- Persistent behavior without repercussions erodes students' trust in adults and reduces hope.
A Teen's 'It Just Happens'
- Sara Austin describes asking her teenage son about bullying and hearing he shrugged that "this just happens."
- That reaction shows how normalized bullying has become in students' everyday lives.