Toronto and Vancouver Proclaim July 8 Child Honouring Day
Cities across Canada formally recognize Child Honouring, the movement founded by Raffi Cavoukian, calling on communities to place children's needs at the center of decision-making
VANCOUVER, BC, July 6, 2026 /CNW/ - The City of Toronto and the City of Vancouver have each proclaimed July 8 as Child Honouring Day, joined by the City of Victoria, marking the first time Child Honouring has received this level of civic recognition.
Child Honouring is a child-first framework founded by renowned children's troubadour and advocate Raffi Cavoukian, C.C., that calls on individuals, institutions, and governments to organize society around the priority needs of the very young. July 8 also marks Raffi's birthday.
"Child Honouring asks all of us to prioritize the needs of our youngest citizens," said Raffi. "Cities saying yes to that is exactly the kind of public commitment children deserve. It's the best birthday present ever."
"For cities across the country to put their names behind Child Honouring is a powerful signal," said Laurel Collins, Executive Director of the Raffi Foundation for Child Honouring. "Toronto, Vancouver, and Victoria are affirming that children's wellbeing belongs at the centre of public life. We hope others will follow."
The proclamations land in a milestone year, as 2026 marks 50 years since the release of Singable Songs for the Very Young, Raffi's first children's album and the career that set him on the path to founding Child Honouring. They also land as Parliament considers Bill C-34, including the Digital Safety Act and 16 as the minimum age for social media. The Raffi Foundation for Child Honouring has advocated for the bill alongside partners including Unplugged Canada and Children First Canada, arguing that protecting children from online harm is essential to their well-being.
The Foundation is inviting Canadians to mark July 8 with by doing one meaningful action, such as bringing children out into nature, reading aloud to a child, writing a note of appreciation to a caregiver or teacher, or contacting elected officials to ask them to centre children's needs. Parents, educators, and community members wanting to do more can endorse the Covenant for Honouring Children at raffifoundation.org or sign on to the campaign to lower the social media age minimum at raffifoundation.org/write-your-mp.
About the Raffi Foundation for Child Honouring
The Raffi Foundation for Child Honouring is a Canadian registered charity dedicated to advancing the well-being, dignity, and rights of children. Founded by Raffi, the Foundation promotes a child-first approach to social, environmental, and economic decision-making, building a more compassionate, just, and sustainable world centred on the needs of children. Learn more at raffifoundation.org.
SOURCE Raffi Foundation for Child Honouring
Media Contact: Laurel Collins, Executive Director, Raffi Foundation for Child Honouring, [email protected], 613-295-7547
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