During the COVID-19 pandemic, we saw increased risks for the health and safety of vulnerable Canadians as children and families faced increased stress and may have had difficulty accessing supports and prevention programs. There was the survey of COVID-19 and mental health collaboration with Statistics Canada and the Public Health Agency that looked at risk factors for child maltreatment and family violence, such as alcohol consumption, depression and parental stress. We saw that about 5% of Canadians reported concerns about violence within their homes, certainly during the third wave of the pandemic.
What I will also say, though, is that the next cycle of the upcoming CHSCY survey—the Canadian health survey for children and youth—will include information on child maltreatment. The Public Health Agency is also developing a national child welfare-based information system. This system will be a national public health information system that is based on case-level data. It will be disaggregated and distinctions-based as well, but with non-indigenous, first nations, Inuit and Métis children.
We will be looking at future disaggregated data information and will be happy to come back to this committee with more information.