Thank you very much.
Yes, I do remember the article very vividly. More importantly, Goldy actually texted me late last night to say what a great collaboration it was. This morning, I didn't respond to him.
His point was the recognition between both of us that COVID-19 has had devastating impacts on especially working women's lives and women in general. The majority of responsibility for taking care of kids is falling to women. More importantly, we've made great strides in bringing women into the workforce, but there's a real possibility that we're going completely backwards, so I still haven't gotten over the excitement of what yesterday's announcement in the budget represents on behalf of the country.
I do believe this is a historic moment for us to bring the provinces onside as to how we can truly build a national system from the experience that we've seen in Quebec, which has been incredibly important for women's participation, equally important for early learning for children in the schools, and more important for families who are struggling with child care needs.
I think this is going to have an incredible impact on the economy. I do believe this is truly a moment in the country's history where, regardless of one's opinion, we should all come together to support this initiative because it represents such a fundamental commitment on behalf of working families in this country, and more importantly, working women.
In addition to that, I think that over time the program would more than pay for itself with women's participation, their contribution in paying taxes into the economy and their ability to have the independence of earning an income and of being equally able to provide for their families.
I saw many interviews yesterday and watched the expression of individuals. We're struggling with child care. I'm wondering how this is going to help them to recognize it is something that this country badly needs. Yesterday's investment for the next number of years is going to be really important for us to win this effort. It will take all of us rolling up our sleeves and working with the provinces and territories to ensure that they collaborate with the federal government to ensure that we can build a truly national child care program on behalf of all working people in this country.