Family
Cardus Family conducts, compiles and disseminates Canadian research on family and marriage and their strengthening impact on civil society.
Peter Jon Mitchell
Research & Policy
Child care is the care of a child, no matter who provides that care. Families have diverse care needs and rely on a variety of forms of care to meet those needs. Public policy best serves families when it offers flexibility and choice. Child-care policies should be equitable for all families, regardless of the type of care they choose. Universal child-care systems fail to recognize the diverse care needs of parents in Prince Edward Island and their reasons for the type of care they choose.
The federal government intends to implement a national universal child-care program that will require the provinces to exchange autonomy for funding directed toward a one-size-fits-all system. A national universal child-care program is structurally opposed to equity for all families, because it limits funding based on the type of care families use. There are better options.
Child-care policies should be equitable for all families, regardless of the type of care they choose. Universal child-care systems fail to recognize the diverse care needs of parents in Ontario and their reasons for the type of care they choose.
The federal government intends to implement a national universal child-care program that will require the provinces to exchange autonomy for funding directed toward a one-size-fits-all system. A national universal child-care program is structurally opposed to equity for all families, because it limits funding based on the type of care families use. There are better options.
Child-care policies should be equitable for all families, regardless of the type of care they choose. Universal child-care systems fail to recognize the diverse care needs of parents in Newfoundland and Labrador and their reasons for the type of care they choose.
The federal government intends to implement a national universal child-care program that will require the provinces to exchange autonomy for funding directed toward a one-size-fits-all system. A national universal child-care program is structurally opposed to equity for all families, because it limits funding based on the type of care families use. There are better options.
Child-care policies should be equitable for all families, regardless of the type of care they choose. Universal child-care systems fail to recognize the diverse care needs of Nova Scotia parents and their reasons for the type of care they choose.
The federal government intends to implement a national universal child-care program that will require the provinces to exchange autonomy for funding directed toward a one-size-fits-all system. A national universal child-care program is structurally opposed to equity for all families, because it limits funding based on the type of care families use. There are better options.
Child-care policies should be equitable for all families, regardless of the type of care they choose. Universal child-care systems fail to recognize the diverse care needs of New Brunswick parents and their reasons for the type of care they choose.
Solutions for families both during and after the pandemic.
Unprepared and uncertain about the duration of the economic shutdown, the child-care sector in Ontario was deeply affected by the COVID-19 crisis. What can be learned from the experience and what lessons can be applied in the future should a second wave of the virus return to Ontario?
From the beginning of the pandemic in British Columbia, child care was declared an essential service. Providers were not ordered to close but were also not forced to stay open. According to various child-care providers, the pandemic did not so much create problems as exacerbate existing challenges. Diverse forms of child care were available to families during the pandemic, but the crisis highlights the province’s inequitable treatment of providers based on the type of care they provide.
We argue that the following three principles should undergird child-care policy in post-pandemic Canada: Place the well-being of the child first; recognize families’ diverse situations and needs; provide funding that all families can access equitably, and embed it in a comprehensive and flexible family policy.
Parents in Alberta rely on diverse care options for their children. Policy-makers should respect the needs and choices of parents by continuing to focus on child care policies that are equitable for all families, regardless of the type of care they choose.
Recent Statistics Canada data show that parents depend on diverse forms of care to best meet the needs of their family. This includes the 46 percent of parents in Alberta with children under six who do not use non-parental care. However, funding is primarily directed to centre-based care. How can the Alberta government include all families in its child care policy?
Parents in British Columbia rely on diverse care options for their children. Policy-makers should respect the needs and choices of parents by continuing to focus on child care policies that are equitable for all families, regardless of the type of care they choose.
Recent Statistics Canada data show that parents depend on diverse forms of care to best meet the needs of their family. This includes the 42 percent of parents in BC with children under six who do not use non-parental care. However, funding is primarily directed to centre-based care. How can the BC government include all families in its child care policy?
Ontario parents rely on diverse care options for their children. Policy-makers should respect the needs and choices of parents by continuing to focus on child care policies that are equitable for all families, regardless of the type of care they choose.
Recent Statistics Canada data show that parents depend on diverse forms of care to best meet the needs of their family. This includes the 46 percent of parents in Ontario with children under six who do not use non-parental care. However, funding is primarily directed to centre-based care. How can the Ontario government include all families in its child care policy?
Canadian parents rely on diverse care options for their children. Federal policy-makers can develop a narrative that encourages child care policies that are equitable for all families.
Recent Statistics Canada data show that parents depend on diverse forms of care to best meet the needs of their family. This includes the 40 percent of parents with children under six who do not use non-parental care. However, funding is primarily directed to centre-based care. How can the federal government include all families in its child care policy?
This paper marks International Women's Day 2019 by asking whether it is possible to be both pro-woman and pro-life.
It highlights the diverse voices and views of early feminist leaders like Mattie Brinkerhoff and Victoria Woodhull to discuss the various kinds of "feminisms" that have existed over time, and the diverse claims they have made regarding abortion. Drawn from a speech given to the deVeber Institute, Andrea Mrozek challenges both pro-life leaders and feminist leaders to broaden their tents, remember their roots, and renew the conversation about how best to advance women's happiness and women's health.
On Jan 25, 2019 a letter with 31 signatories went to the federal government asking for the reinstatement of the collection of marriage and divorce rate statistics. Since that time, additional signatories have added their names requesting the reinstatement of this valuable data.
Avoiding the social and economic pitfalls of "universal" child care.
Is marriage going out of style? The statistics suggest yes. What hasn't gone out of style, however, is love and relationships. When it comes to teaching healthy relationships to youth, marriage is the highest standard for consensually entered, safe relationship.
This paper outlines why marriage should be included in modern sexuality education curricula in Ontario and across Canada.
Has the growth of online dating services and apps made finding a suitable partner easier? The evidence suggests that fewer Canadian young adults are in marriages and cohabiting partnerships than in the past. In short, young people today are more likely to be on their own.
If children are doing poorly—parents need to be part of the solution
Meet Ontario’s new old sex ed, same as Ontario’s old new sex ed, writes Cardus Family Director Andrea Mrozek. Meanwhile, Mrozek notes, the proven, enduring good of marriage gets crickets.
In a decision delivered in April 2018, a Newfoundland court recognized three legal parents (two fathers and one mother), based on the throuple’s sexual relationship
A new report finds that marriage is declining as cohabitation rates double among middle-aged Canadians.
What is the relationship between marital status and social-assistance participation? Canadian analysis on how social-assistance policies may discourage marriage provides mixed results. However it shows that regional variations such as labour market conditions and wage growth are important considerations when exploring social-assistance participation and marital decision-making.
This provincial and territorial breakdown of the 2016 family census data shows that kids in Canada’s wealthiest provinces are the most likely to be growing up in families with two married parents.