Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  I'd like to add a quick point. The reason I didn't go into the catalogue of children's issues today is because I understood we were here to talk about the UPR and how Canada improves. If you want, we would gladly bring a briefing on children's issues.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  I didn't lead with that because I have been before the committee before. I assumed--

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  I'll try to be quick.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Yes.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  There were no consultations before the report on children's rights, and none after. And yes, it does undermine the credibility. The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child is strong in the area of wanting to see consultation with the people who work with children, and with the young people themselves.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  The outcomes of Canada's second review outlined that children in remote regions, for example, need special attention. When we ask why the maternal mortality rates and under-five rates have gone up, it's largely in rural and more remote regions. That was one group. Children with disabilities were named in terms of some inequitable treatments in education.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  The Canadian Coalition for the Rights of Children is an umbrella group of organizations across the country that work with children. We have a 10-member board, which has a number of the larger children's organizations on it. It also has some academics who work on children's issues.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  It does not happen very often. I mentioned the first example...because we decided the situation for aboriginal children was so severe that we were going to use every avenue. As you know, the first appeal for children is being made now. Part of my submission was to tell you that the way that is being handled, I don't think the commission is an appropriate forum for children's rights.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  If the commission is going to hear more cases relating to children, then they need a child-friendly process. What I would point you to at the provincial level concerns complaints to children's advocates. New Brunswick, Ontario, and Saskatchewan have very good records of complaints being made to children's advocates, and they work very cooperatively--not with lots and lots of lawyers--to solve the problems.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Oh, sorry, I don't mean to....

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  I don't.... I would like to see more lawyers protecting children's rights, actually.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Yes. The quick resolution is what we need.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  The area of equitable treatment is one that.... There's a general provision in the charter, so even under the charter, as I said, we have a limited federal obligation. Children are not mentioned anywhere in the charter, and there are very few cases that try to apply the charter to children's rights.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  It covers all, but one of the unique aspects of children's rights is a balancing between the need for protection and the need for self-determination. The charter is much more along the lines of people's rights of self-determination. The charter was adopted before the Convention on the Rights of the Child; another reason.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Well, obviously I would love to see more focus on children, but I'm going to say to you that even our participation as a coalition in this process was to focus on the general mechanisms for implementing human rights in Canada, not so much on children. We will focus on children very specifically in front of the UN committee on children's rights, because that's where the expertise lies.