Guide
Missing Children Resources in Canada
A missing child in Canada is reported to the local police service or the RCMP detachment, and there is no waiting period. The police enter the child into the Canadian Police Information Centre, which every force in the country can see, and the RCMP's National Centre for Missing Persons and Unidentified Remains supports the investigation and runs the public website Canada's Missing, where families can consent to have the case posted. The Canadian Centre for Child Protection, a charity in Winnipeg, runs MissingKids.ca and the Cybertip.ca reporting line, and it produces the posters and supports families the way the National Center does in the United States.
AMBER Alerts are issued by the police service leading the case, province by province, and reach the participating broadcasters and the compatible phones on the wireless networks in the alert area through the Alert Ready system.
Official sources on this page were checked on September 25, 2026.
Guide
How AMBER Alerts work in Canada
Each province and territory has its own AMBER Alert plan, and the police service investigating a case asks the provincial coordinator, usually the provincial police or the RCMP division, to issue one when a child under 18 has been abducted, is believed to be in danger, and there is enough information about the child, the abductor or a vehicle to help the public. The alert goes out through Alert Ready, which reaches compatible phones on the wireless networks and the participating radio and television broadcasters, and it is shared with neighbouring provinces and, through the RCMP, with the United States when a border crossing is possible. Cases that do not meet the standard are publicized through police news releases and the MissingKids.ca network.
- Canada's MissingThe RCMP national missing persons and unidentified remains site with searchable cases
- RCMP missing personsHow the RCMP handles missing persons and the National Centre
- Alert ReadyThe national emergency alert system that carries AMBER Alerts to phones and broadcasters
- MissingKids.ca AMBER AlertActive alerts and how the Canadian Centre for Child Protection supports them
Guide
Reporting, support and international abductions
Report to the local police or the RCMP, ask for the file number and confirm the child has been entered into the Canadian Police Information Centre, then contact the Canadian Centre for Child Protection, which assigns a caseworker, produces posters and works with the police. The Missing Children Society of Canada in Calgary and the Missing Children's Network in Montreal run their own search programs. When a child has been taken out of Canada, the Our Missing Children program brings together the RCMP, the Canada Border Services Agency and Global Affairs Canada, and the Hague Convention on child abduction is handled through the provincial central authority and the federal Justice Department.
- MissingKids.caThe Canadian Centre for Child Protection's missing children program and database
- International child abductionsGlobal Affairs Canada guidance on children taken abroad
- Canada Border Services Agency missing childrenThe border agency's missing children program
- Missing Children in the United StatesState by state AMBER Alert and clearinghouse guides
Guide
More official resources
- Search Missing Persons Case Profiles
- CBSA Border Watch Line (1-888-502-9060)
- Our Missing Children Program, Federal Partners Overview
- Missing Children Database, MissingKids.ca
- MissingKidsALERT, Email Alert Sign-Up Service
- AMBER Alert Program in British Columbia, RCMP
- OPP Investigations and Missing Persons, Ontario Provincial Police
- Sûreté du Québec, Missing Persons
- Missing Persons, Province of British Columbia
- Submit a Tip, MissingKids.ca
Straight answers
Common questions about missing children in Canada
Is there a waiting period to report a missing child in Canada?
No. Report to the local police or the RCMP at once. The child is entered into the Canadian Police Information Centre, and the RCMP's National Centre for Missing Persons and Unidentified Remains supports the case.
Who issues AMBER Alerts in Canada?
The police service investigating the case, through the provincial or territorial AMBER Alert coordinator, when a child under 18 has been abducted and is in danger. The alert goes out through Alert Ready to phones and broadcasters.
What is the Canadian equivalent of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children?
The Canadian Centre for Child Protection in Winnipeg, which runs MissingKids.ca and Cybertip.ca, and the RCMP's National Centre for Missing Persons and Unidentified Remains, which runs Canada's Missing.