Thank you, Mr. Chair.
My thanks also to our guests for taking the time to come to share their points of view with us.
Mr. Bourque, I would first like to make a comment. I am a fan of trains. I actually took a VIA Rail train this morning to come here from Montreal. I just want to point out that, in a number of municipalities, CP or CN rail lines go through the city, sometimes blocking the residents’ active transportation. Where I live, it is quite a frequent problem. Unfortunately, your members are not always very open to the idea of increasing the number of level crossings, which creates some difficulties.
Mr. Yussuff and Mr. Luff, clearly, the idea of a national daycare plan is music to New Democratic ears. Quebec members find the plan even more interesting, given their experience with early childhood centres for some years, the results of which are positive. They are positive for the children, but also for the parents. It actually enables them to return to the workforce—mothers more than fathers, it must be said. The economist Pierre Fortin has estimated that it has actually allowed 70,000 women to return to the workforce. That increases our collective productivity. It is also very positive for those women in terms of their financial autonomy.
Do you see a federal public daycare plan having the equivalent impact in the rest of the country?
In your opinion, what positive effects could it have on the economy in general?