Thank you very much for the invitation to be here. We will be forwarding a written submission in French and English early next week to expand on my brief remarks this afternoon.
For 30 years our association has called on our Parliament to commit federal funds to build a comprehensive, high-quality, universal, and inclusive child care system. We're appearing once again before you, this time with renewed hope that this newly reconstituted House will answer our call.
For 2016-17, we're looking for a modest federal investment in child care.
We're looking for $100 million for indigenous communities to design, deliver, and govern early childhood education that meets their needs and that's consistent with related recommendations from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
Also, we're requesting $500 million as a federal transfer to provinces and territories for targeted child care initiatives. In future years, and in order to meet the government's election platform commitments, federal transfers will have to increase. All federal transfers, whether they're short term or long term, must be spent in ways that are evidence-based and publicly accountable. We distinguish between short-term funding and increased funding over the longer term because we want the federal government to move along two tracks simultaneously.
We want the government to take immediate steps to address urgent child care priorities, such as affordability, developing the child care workforce and meeting the needs of harder-to-serve populations, such as rural communities. At the same time, the federal government must collaborate with other levels of government, indigenous organizations, and child care organizations to develop and implement a robust shared policy framework that would guide increased public investments over time.
The Prime Minister has mandated the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development and the Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs to develop such a national early learning and child care framework. Our organization and three other important national organizations have developed a vision for this framework, a vision that has already received widespread support and endorsement in the child care sector. It's our proposed framework that guides our thinking about federal child care investments. We have given copies of this shared framework to this committee for your consideration.
There's no time now to elaborate on our proposed framework. I'll just say that if our proposed approach is adopted, Canada can achieve within one decade an ECE, early childhood education, system that provides affordable access to a high-quality space for every child whose parents choose such an option.
I'll use my remaining time to highlight three reasons for prioritizing child care funding in this year's budget.
First, taking action in child care is broadly supported. In the 2015 federal election, most political parties made child care commitments in their platforms. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission recommends culturally appropriate early childhood education programs for indigenous families as part of healing and reconciliation. The recent meeting of the federal, provincial and territorial ministers responsible for child care has also created important momentum. It's clear that new federal child care transfers will be welcomed.
Second, action in child care is urgently needed. Families across the country, and by extension their employers and also their communities, are struggling. Parent fees are unaffordable, and they're increasing at rates that outpace inflation. Child care is not available. More than 70% of mothers are employed, but only 24% of children in the ages up to five years have access to spaces in centres. The quality of care is inconsistent, and there's limited integration of care and education.
Full schoolday kindergarten in several provinces has important benefits. All children in those provinces have the legislated right to participate. They're taught by teachers who are educated at post-secondary levels and who earn decent wages. Also, there are no direct parent fees.
But a full-day kindergarten does not address child care needs outside of school hours or those of children under the age of five. We also have the problem of low public funding. Canada's public spending on child care expressed as a percentage of GDP is extremely low by OECD and other international standards.
Finally, action on child care has important social and economic benefits. Child care promotes social inclusion, combats child and family poverty, and promotes women's equality. But child care spending also provides important economic stimulus by creating jobs, allowing parents, particularly women, to work, and supporting local economies through local spending.
Importantly, the failure to address families' child care struggles will limit the reach of other federal economic initiatives. For example, job creation initiatives will be hampered if workers don't also have access to affordable child care.
The urgency of acting decisively on early childhood education and care cannot be overstated. We urge you to recommend that the federal government take action in the next budget.
Thank you.