I just want to emphasize, because I didn't do so earlier, that our association recognizes that Quebec has taken the lead on this file, in terms of early childhood centres and direct program subsidies. Families pay only $7 a day for child care services. Our official position is that Quebec must continue to assume this leadership role and to secure funding without having to satisfy the same criteria as the other provinces.
The amount of funding is important. We are talking about a significant federal government investment. We have the ability to make that investment. Furthermore, we know that investment performance is important.
Performance criteria are as important as the funding. As mentioned earlier, several existing programs lack performance criteria to ensure that the money really is used to create child care spaces or to reduce the costs to parents, as is the case in Quebec. It is all well and good to create child care spaces, but if parents have no choice but to pay $30 or $40 a day for these services, then they may be out of reach. While the money is important, performance criteria are equally important.