Posted on 04 March 2009
OTTAWA – Liberal Senators took aim at the Conservative government’s “failed child care policies” in Question Period today, with five Senators each looking at a different element of a bleak picture in an effort to highlight the broad extent of the problem.
“I think the fact that five of us felt strongly enough to speak out about the government’s inaction on this important issue reflects the seriousness of the situation,” said Senator James Cowan, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate. “The fact is, on the question of child care, the Conservative government is failing Canadian children.”
In the Senate Chamber, Senator Cowan pointed out that “one of the first things this government did after taking power was to cancel the early learning and child care agreements signed with all of the provincial and territorial governments. This government cut $5 billion of federal funding to families who desperately need it.”
His colleagues reinforced this message. According to Senator Art Eggleton, “a Canadian cost-benefit study considering high quality early childhood education and care showed that such a program would produce a $2 social and economic return to our society for every dollar spent…Why did the government not meaningfully invest in early childhood education and care in the 2009 budget?”
Senator Jim Munson underlined the fact that Canada’s poor performance on child care has also been noticed at the international level. “The world is watching when it comes to child care and frankly it’s embarrassing. From the United Nations to the OECD, Canada has been repeatedly criticized for its failed child care policies… Despite paying among the highest child care fees in the world, Canada tied dead last in December 2008 on the UNICEF report card for child care.”
Senator Claudette Tardif highlighted the inadequacy of the government’s reliance on tax credits as a tool to encourage companies to create child care spaces in workplaces, “in 2006, Human Resources Canada looked at the potential of tax credits to create child care spaces. The employers consulted were sceptical. Most expressed a preference to partner with local child care providers, rather then create in-house daycare facilities.”
Senator Lorna Milne drew attention to the fact that, due to the government’s failure to deal with the problem, the vast majority of children in Toronto do not have access to licensed child care. “Licensed child care serves only 21percent of Toronto’s children under the age of 10. Since the most recent Conservative Party…Election platform remains silent on commitments to improve access to child care spaces in Canada, can we assume the (government) is satisfied that only one in five children in Toronto has access to licensed child care?”
According to Senator Cowan, a sound child care policy is more important than ever, in the difficult economic times Canadians are now dealing with. “Many thousands of Canadians are trying to find new jobs. That is even more difficult when you can’t find a safe, affordable and nurturing child care facility for your young children.”
“Child care is about social policy, it’s about economic policy, but more importantly, it’s about basic fairness. Canadians and their children need real action from the government, not the old ‘hands-off, laissez-faire’ Conservative approach that has proven to be such a failure,” Senator Cowan concluded.