Children's health and safety are at risk because of the piecemeal approach taken by provinces and territories, the Canadian Pediatric Society said in a report Thursday.

The society's 2007 status report called Are We Doing Enough? compared provinces and territories in:

• Health promotion, such as publicly funded immunization programs, teen smoking prevention programs and pandemic influenza planning. 
• Disease prevention, including obesity prevention and promotion of physical activity.
• Injury prevention, such as legislation on all-terrain vehicles, bicycle helmets, booster seats and snowmobile safety.

"Looming mental health issues and the impending shortage of pediatricians in Canada suggest that the wait time crisis could be just beginning," said Dr. Andrew Lynk, chair of the society's action committee for children and teens.

"This could spell potential disaster for Canadian children and youth who need essential health-care services."

Resources targeted toward adult wait times should not come at the expense of services for children and youth, he added.  

At a news conference in Montreal, the society also called for a commissioner for children and youth at the federal level, saying national strategies are needed for injury prevention, mental health and pediatric human resources planning.

As unintentional injury remained the leading cause of death, illness and disability among children and youth, provinces and territories could toughen laws to keep young Canadians safe from preventable harm, the group said.

In the last two years, adolescent smoking rates have declined, while national strategies to ensure universal access to childhood vaccines are proving effective, the report said.