Canada

There is no publicly available government data on child marriage in Canada.

According to 2019 research findings of an assistant professor at McGill University, between 2000 and 2018, the Canadian government granted marriage certificates to approximately 3,687 children.

The highest rates of child marriage between 2000 and 2018 were found in Alberta with 791 marriage certificates grated, of which 568 girls were married by the age of 17 and 66 boys married by the age of 17.

The second highest rates of child marriage were found in British Columbia with 429 marriage certificates granted, of which 307 girls were married by the age of 18 and 35 boys married by the age of 17. The third highest rates were found in Manitoba with 302 marriage certificates issued, 302 girls married before the age of 17.

Child marriage is driven by gender inequality and the belief that women and girls are somehow inferior to men and boys.

There is limited information on child marriage in Canada.

Canada has committed to eliminate child, early and forced marriage by 2030 in line with target 5.3 of the Sustainable Development Goals. Canada reported on progress made against target 5.3 including some of the foreign aid the government has given to countries to end child marriage as well as domestic figures on child marriage, during its 2018 Voluntary National Review at the High Level Political Forum, the mechanism through which countries report their progress on the Sustainable Development Goals. The government has not submitted a Voluntary National Review in any High Level Political Forum since 2018.

Canada co-sponsored the following Human Rights Council resolutions: the 2013 procedural resolution on CEFM, the 2015 resolution on CEFM, the 2017 resolution on recognising the need to address CEFM in humanitarian contexts, and the 2019 resolution on the consequences of child marriage. In 2014, Canada also signed a joint statement at the Human Rights Council calling for a resolution on child marriage.

Canada has signed the 2021 Human Rights Council resolution on Child, Early and Forced Marriage in times of crisis, including the COVID-19 pandemic

Canada co-sponsored the 2013, 2014, 2016, 2018 and 2020 UN General Assembly resolutions on child, early and forced marriage.

Canada ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1991, which sets a minimum age of marriage of 18, and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) in 1981, which obligates states to ensure free and full consent to marriage.

Canada, as a member of the Organization of American States (OAS), is bounded to the Inter American System of Human Rights, which recognises the right of men and women of marriageable age to marry and calls to governments to strengthen the respond to address gender-based violence and discrimination, including early, forced and child marriage and unions from a perspective that respected evolving capacities and progressive autonomy.

At the London Girl Summit in July 2014, the government signed a chartercommitting to end child marriage by 2020.

Canada is a pathfinder country for the Global Partnership to End Violence Against Children

Globally, Canadian embassies and high commissions have led advocacy initiatives to end child marriage which have include:

Tanzania: The Canadian High Commission alongside the Tanzanian government have established the Child, Early and Forced Marriage (CEFM) Champion award which recognizes the significant contribution the Tanzanian government has in the effort to end CEFM. The award provides a platform to raise awareness on CEFM through social media platforms and public events.

Guatemala: In partnership with Plan International, the Canadian Embassy in Guatemala provides scholarships to girls in the community of Alta Verapaz. Girls from these communities are at risk of leaving school for CEFM, and so this scholarship encourages girls to continue their full time education.

India: Alongside non-governmental organisations and Patna Women’s College, the Canadian High Commission have organised seminars to mobilise community support in ending CEFM and empowering women economically.

The Canadian International Development Research Centre supports international projects on CEFM which include:

WILDAF project in Mali, Togo and Niger which provides support in strengthening women’s capacity to challenge cultural, social and gender norms that perpetuate CEFM within their regions;

In Bangladesh, support the research on understanding the socio-economic and cultural factors that contribute to CEFM and support the design of public policy interventions;

In Pakistan; supporting the establishment of safe spaces for women and girls and advocating for the community based change through policy reform.

Canada is a leading advocate and supporter of efforts to address child marriage globally. The government:

Co-sponsored the first ever United Nations General Assembly resolutionto address child marriage in 2013.

Led the 2018 United Nations General Assembly resolution, which calls on Member States to accelerate action to address child marriage and emphasises the rights of married girls.

Introduced and supported resolutions at the United Nations Human Rights Council and La Francophonie.

Developed, in collaboration with Girls Not Brides, the Girls’ Voices photo exhibit, taking the stories of girls at risk of child marriage, and the community members advocating for change alongside them, around the world.

Convened, in collaboration with other countries and UN entities, high-level meetings at the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (in March 2018) and at the United Nations General Assembly in New York (in September 2018) to discuss the situation on child marriage and female genital mutilation and highlight work that still needs to be done.

Domestically, the Canadian government is working to end child marriage by:

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) provide training to front-line officers and border patrol officers on CEFM;

The Federal/Provincial/Territorial Working Group on underage and forced marriage provide inter-governmental organisations with educational materials on ways to prevent and respond to CEFM;

The Justice Canada organisation developed educational resources, titled ‘Youth Agency and the Culture of Law’ that are incorporated in High School curriculums, raising awareness on CEFM;

Status of Women Canada support national projects that address issues of violence against women as well as CEFM.

Between 2011 and 2016, the government committed CAN $80 million to end child marriage. It delivered support through mechanisms including the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives, the Global Peace and Security Fund, and its development assistance programme.

The Canadian government has donated to several international projects such as:

Improving access to sexual and reproductive health care in Democratic Republic of Congo and Burundi 2022 - 2027– CAD$20 million

Gender equality and health rights of women and girls in Kenya, Uganda, Cambodia and Philippines 2021 - 2027 – CAD$27 million

Strengthening adolescent girls’ sexual and reproductive health in Sierra Leone, Mali and Niger 2021 - 2027 – CAD$45 million

Empowering women, preventing violence and promoting social cohesion in ASEAN 2021 – 2025 – CAD$ 8.5 million

Sexual health and empowerment in the Philippines 2018 – 2024 – CAD$17.8 million

Canada contributed CAD$20 million to the UNICEF-UNFPA Global Programme to Accelerate Action to End Child Marriage. The government has also donated to the African Union Campaign to End Child Marriage, and the UNFPA Action for Adolescent Girls: Accelerating Action to End Child Marriage.

In March 2017, the government announced an investment of CAD$650 million over three years in funding for sexual and reproductive health and rights, which, in part, aims to prevent and respond to child, early and forced marriage. In June 2017, Canada launched its Feminist International Assistance Policy. The policy includes a renewed commitment to support comprehensive approaches addressing child marriage.

In June 2019, at the Women Deliver Conference in Vancouver, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that the Government of Canada would raise its funding to reach an average of $1.4 billion annually by 2023, to support women’s, adolescents’ and children’s health around the world.

In November 2019, at the Nairobi Summit on ICPD25, Canada reiterated this commitment and stated that of those $1.4 billion, an average of CAD$700 million annually would be dedicated to SRHR. With a comprehensive approach to SRHR, this funding will also be dedicated to the prevention of sexual and gender-based violence, including child, early and forced marriage and female genital mutilation and cutting.

Since 2015, under Article 2.2 of the Civil Marriage Act the minimum age of marriage at 16. Provinces and territories may set a minimum age higher than that. 

In Canada the age of majority is set by province/territory at 18 or 19, so minors under this age need additional parental and/or court consent to marry.