Good afternoon to everyone. Mr. Chair and committee members, I thank you on behalf of the Canadian Child Care Federation, Canada's child care and early learning sector, for the opportunity to present to all of you today on how increased federal child care investment measures would help Canadians and Canadian businesses be more productive and competitive, and more specifically help women in their employment, productivity, economic security, and equality.
The reality for today's Canadian families requires that they have access to high-quality, affordable, inclusive, and accessible child care. It is a key economic element for the majority of Canadian families, including the middle class, and for our economy overall. Importantly, however, the economic benefit of child care is not just for the families of today but for the well-being of children in the future and of the contributions that Canada's early childhood workforce makes in the present.
For Canada's workforce and talent to thrive, the federal government must significantly increase its already allocated spending on child care, as outlined in our submitted brief, and accompany that increase with an expanded and more detailed evidence-based policy framework, with the goal of making high-quality child care fully accessible to all families and inclusive of all children in every part of Canada over the next decade. This will significantly support Canadians, but even more specifically women, in their employment, productivity, economic security, and equality.
Adding to our previously submitted brief outlining the work of the IMF on the economic impact and value of women's ability to enter into and stay in the workforce when child care is available, I draw your attention to data gathered and analyzed from Canada's own Pierre Fortin, using real-time data from the province of Quebec's child care system. Women's workforce participation increased significantly in Quebec in conjunction with the child care system in that province. Between 1997 and 2015, the labour force participation rate of women in Quebec increased from approximately 77% to 85%. This resulted in a net economic gain of 75ยข per dollar on top of each public dollar invested into the Quebec child care system.
Public opinion support for child care and its value for families, children, and the economy are further supported in the Manitoba Child Care Association's and Probe Research's public polling of Manitoba's opinions on the issue of child care. While of course Manitoba-specific, it closely mirrors the report's first-hand experiences and the continued systemic issues that are commonly discussed in the media and most certainly reported from our members across Canada. This research, done in the fall of 2016, found that a significant percentage of Manitobans have turned down jobs, delayed returning to work, or declined an educational opportunity because of the lack of available child care spaces.
Specifically, the lack of available child care has impacted upon Manitoba's families as follows: 30% report turning down a job; 41% have delayed returning to work; and 24% have declined an educational opportunity. As for businesses, a majority of Manitoba business leaders, 76%, in fact, say that the lack of child care in Manitoba is a serious issue, with 49% reporting that they have experienced difficulty finding skilled employees for reasons related to child care issues.
The child care sector is of course an employer as well as a service provider for families and children. A well thought-out workforce strategy specific to the child care sector will put people to work, supporting those who are also working and going to school. This fact should not be lost, as the child care workforce is the key to quality, and to be clear, child care and early learning must be of the highest quality, built on evidence and best practice.
This is not about creating child care that goes to the lowest bidder or is left to chance; it must be purposely planned. Canada's child care sector has long been known for its low wages and for recruitment and retention issues. Contributing to the economy in this primarily female-dominated profession contributes not only to the economic security of the families it serves, but also of those who work in it. If we are to value children and their well-being, the women and men who provide early years education and care for Canada's youngest citizens are integral to its purposeful planning and to contributing to a robust economy.
As an organization we are committed to working with the federal government to make early learning and child care a priority in this country. Our organization, along with its 13 provincial and territorial affiliates and national partners, brings invaluable expertise, commitment, and connections to the grassroots of child care services, children, families, and the sector.
We are pleased to put forward ideas for consideration on a number of ways the federal government can support and expand its existing commitments to quality child care, a key component of a productive and prosperous future for our country.