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Reasons Why Canada is Family-Friendly

A typical Canadian family

Raising a family has to be one of the most important and joyful challenges anyone can undertake in their lifetime. Whetheryou already have children or are planning to start a family in the near future, you’ll most likely want to consider doing it in acontext that will favour your child’s personal growth, education, safety and future potential. While Canada isn’t perfect, it’sstill one of the best places in the world to raise a family. We did some research (and accounted for personal experience!),and have come up with some great reasons to explain why Canada is family-friendly! Take a look and see for yourself whybringing or starting your family here could be the best decision you’ve ever made.

Parental Leave

Every family has to start somewhere, and even from birth, Canada’s got you covered. Parental leave is essentially afederally-protected Canadian right for you to spend time with your baby. Though it varies depending on one’s workingsituation, most mothers can be benefit from up to 17 weeks of maternal leave, to be taken up to 8 weeks before the birthuntil about 8 weeks after.

Expectant parents are well taken care of in Canada

Education

One of the most important factors in having children is to prepare them for the future, and the best way to do that is toensure a great education. Canada has a good international standing in terms of education, with over half our populationboasting college degrees, and over 89% having completed high school. According to Professor Charles Ungerleider in aGlobal News article on Canadian educational standards, “Canada, generally speaking, has well-prepared and well-educated teachers”, who insure dynamic and up-to-date classroom programs. In 2012, Canada ranked number 1 in thetop-ten list of most educated countries in the world, according to Time Magazine. Great statistics aside, it helps to knowthat Canada has a great public school system for primary and secondary schools, and while nobody likes university fees,they’re considerably lower than our Southern neighbors in the U.S., for example.

Kids in the classroom at a typical Canadian school

Healthcare

From labour itself, to cuts and bruises, to simple vaccines, one of the most fundamentally important things for any family isaccess to healthcare, and one of the most defining aspects of this country is its free healthcare system. While it has itsflaws (like long waiting lists in some provinces), all families nevertheless have access to primary care, family doctors andemergency medical care as the case may be, without paying a cent on the spot.

Visits to the family doctor are free in Canada

Safety

While unfortunately, no city is immune to issues of criminality, Canada’s strict gun laws and longstanding decline in crimerates make it one of the safest places to live (While of course, we can’t official recommend the practice, the stereotype ofeveryone leaving doors unlocked isn’t that far from the truth, much to the delight of families who settle here.)

Rights and Freedoms

As a country with one of the most elaborate and respected Charters of Rights and Freedoms, Canada is a place whichembodies tolerance for all. It is consistently rated as one of the most tolerant and peaceful places to live in the world, andas one of the places with the highest standards of living by the OECD Better Life Index, due in part to national thismentality of acceptance. How this translates to family living is simple: Canada respects your religious, cultural, social andpersonal rights no matter what kind of family you are, and your children are guaranteed access to healthcare and school ina safe environment, under this Charter.

Your rights and freedoms will be protected here

Natural Splendour

One of the best parts of family living in Canada is the endless potential for exploration. Canada has some of the mostbreath-taking natural scenery in the world, and is a haven for family vacationeers the world over. Whether you’d like to livein Calgary next to the beautiful Rockies, or in Vancouver for its view of the Pacific Ocean, or in Montreal for itscolourful and multicultural scene, you’ll have a lifetime’s worth to explore here with your family, be it through living in oneof its interesting cities, of through visiting it from sea to shining sea. Here are a few great spots to visit on your familyvacations, among many others:

Banff, Alberta

Banff National Park is a gorgeous place to visit with your family. (Photo: brewster.ca)

Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia

Cape Breton Island is a beautiful place

Cavendish, Prince Edward Island

Kayaking with the kids in Cavendish, PEI

Consistently High Ratings

Canada always seems to come up in the international conversation when it comes to great family living!

Expat Info Desk rated Canada 6th in the world overall as a great place to raise a family, and in terms of rating specificfamily-friendly cities world-wide, a few familiar faces showed up:

5th: Vancouver

14th: Ottawa

15th: Toronto

In terms of within Canada itself, the top-rated cities for family living as according to Reader’s Digest were asfollow: Ottawa got second place while Calgary rated fourth, and these scores were based on low crimes rates, great publicservices, and extra parental leave weeks in these cities.

We hope this overview of Canada’s family-friendliness has inspired you to make the big move to the Great White North, orat least reaffirmed your decision for having chosen Canada as a place to raise your family.

If you’re curious about what family-friendly Canadian neighborhoods are perfect for you, check out ourNeighborhood Finder to discover the perfect area for you and yours!