In the best interests of the child

Yvon’s commitment to children’s rights and his agreement with many of our findings regarding the existing policy and service gaps in Canada support the authors’ conclusion about the need for Canada to continue to strengthen its international commitments by more effectively integrating the best interests of children in the development and application of criminal justice policies and practices affec [...] The authors would also like to gratefully acknowledge the many people who provided valuable feedback on earlier drafts of the report, including Wenona Victor, Les Stagg, and other attendees of the December working group, in particular, representatives from the Elizabeth Fry Society of Greater Vancouver and the Office of the Correctional Investigator. [...] The research team would like to express their appreciation to the University of the Fraser Valley Research Office for committing a portion of this fund to this important research project that we hope will benefit or lead to improved policies and services for the children of incarcerated parents in the Fraser Valley and British Columbia specifically, as well as across Canada. [...] A cursory review of policies, programs, and services offered elsewhere, in particular in the United States and in the United Kingdom, suggest some successful strategies that British Columbia, in particular, and Canada, more generally, may wish to consider adopting or adapting, especially if Canada intends to live up to the rights of the child as emphasized in the United Nations Convention on the R [...] In the Canadian context, for example, in view of the high rates of incarceration of indigenous persons, many of whom are parents, it is likely that provisions of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples may also apply in relation to the right of indigenous families and communities “to retain shared responsibility for the upbringing… and well-being of their children, consistent with t