Thank you very much for the time today.
The federal government has recently taken important steps towards acknowledging the importance of child care in Canada. The Canadian government's contribution of $1,200 to families with children under the age of six is an admirable and important first step. However, much more is required in this area to ensure that Canada remains a competitive industrialized nation.
Many children beyond the age of six require day care. For example, I am a single parent and can't find any after-school programs in my area. These children and families do not receive any form of government assistance. However, any capital funding without an ongoing operating fund will not work and will not be sustainable. Tax incentives won't guarantee that new day care spaces will meet community priorities.
In order for Canadians to continue to contribute to the development of a competitive society, we need to ensure that we develop as flexible a workforce as possible, especially as the workforce continues to change. A not-for-profit universal child care system is essential to providing the support required to assist in this endeavour.
A universal child care program would enable individuals to take the necessary training required to upgrade their skills and re-enter Canada's workforce, thereby enhancing the country's economic and competitive position. This would also ensure that fewer people end up applying for various forms of social assistance, which might already be required, if they unable to get sufficiently well-paying jobs.
The early years in a child's life have been demonstrated to be crucial to intellectual and psychological development. Therefore, it is of the utmost importance that children receiving child care be supervised by qualified trained professionals of the highest order. An early childhood educator who is paid a competitive salary will be best able to ensure that our children receive the quality of care they deserve, and this is most important in the formative stages of their life.
In order to attract and retain such quality individuals in the child care workforce, the federal government ought to take a lead role in ensuring that spaces exist in post-secondary educational institutions. Financial investment in the education system, in addition to well-paying jobs after graduation, will pay greater dividends to the Canadian economy when skilled, educated people continue to flow into the workforce.
In summary, we would strongly recommend that the federal government take the following steps: create a publicly funded not-for-profit child care system; provide Canada-wide universal access to any such program; and most importantly, train and pay sufficiently the child care workers who are a key component of any such system.
Thank you.