Mr. Speaker, my colleague's question is rather specific. I have a two-part answer.
First of all, women appeared before the Standing Committee on the Status of Women to tell us that most women want access to child care services similar to Quebec's current system. I think we are the envy of many women from across Canada.
Second, by wanting to limit the government's use of the federal spending power, this means giving each of the provinces the option of implementing a system that meets the needs and expectations of families in that particular province. The government of each of the provinces, like the Government of Quebec, has the knowledge and know-how. The only thing missing is the funds to be transferred from the federal level to the provincial level.
At home in Quebec, the system is already in place. We are therefore not asking for anything that would require consultations or long studies that would take more than 18 months to complete. We are calling for the transfer of these funds to Quebec and the provinces. However, since Quebec already has this service, we would like the government to give us the funds with full compensation, so we can improve the existing services.