Thank you, Mr. Chair and members of the committee.
My name is Chris Aylward and I'm the national president of the Public Service Alliance of Canada. We represent 210,000 workers across Canada, most of whom work in the federal public service, but we also represent workers in the broader public sector and in the private sector.
Bill C-30 covers a lot of ground, as it should. These extraordinary times require extraordinary government intervention. The pandemic exposed many fault lines. Seniors became infected and many died in long-term care facilities because of numerous government policy failures. Low-wage workers, the majority of whom are women, Black, indigenous, Asian, racialized and people with disabilities, have suffered tragically and disproportionately because government policy has failed to address inequities embedded in every one of our systems. Now is the time to correct the mistakes of the past.
We welcome the promise of national standards for long-term care, although we regret that funding will be delayed until 2022. Despite its absence in the legislation, we hope the government will reconsider its efforts to improve long-term care by working to end the public sector pension plan's ownership of Revera Incorporated. Instead, let's put the second-largest Canadian network of for-profit long-term care facilities under public ownership and control. Revera is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Public Sector Pension Investment Board, which manages the investments of the pension plans of the federal public service, the Canadian Armed Forces, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the reserve force. PSAC made the call for a change in ownership of Revera as a result of mounting evidence that the incidence of death and illness attributable to COVID-19 is disproportionately large in private, for-profit long-term care facilities.
We are glad to see that workers will continue to see temporary support during the pandemic, but we also need far-reaching permanent improvements in income programs such as employment insurance. A federal minimum wage is a very good thing, but $15 an hour is still a low wage. Workers deserve a budget that creates conditions for decent jobs, paid sick leave and decent pay and benefits in every jurisdiction.
Also, the budget does not deliver the national pharmacare program that the government's own commission recommended. This will undoubtedly continue to create financial hardship and will lead to worse health outcomes for millions of Canadians. Nobody should choose between paying for critical medicine and paying for groceries, or have to skip prescription refills to pay the rent.
The transformative element of budget 2021 is the promise of a Canada-wide system of early learning and child care, backed by $30 billion over the next five years. Bill C-30 authorizes transfers to the provinces and territories of $2.9 billion in 2021-22, to be paid according to terms and conditions set out in bilateral agreements. PSAC started campaigning for federal action of this magnitude 40 years ago. Lowering parents' fees to an average of $10 a day while expanding the number of licensed child care spaces will bring down the obstacles stopping mothers from participating fully in the paid labour force. It will increase the social and economic security of women and will especially help those who now suffer the greatest inequity.
Furthermore, increasing women's access to paid employment will give the economy a huge boost now and in the future. The global pandemic has demonstrated this without question. When child care disappeared during multiple rounds of lockdowns and outbreaks, women were the ones most impacted and forced out of the workforce. The economic loss was immeasurable.
However, to realize these benefits, the federal government must use its $30 billion to negotiate meaningful changes in how child care is delivered. The economy needs a secure supply of publicly funded and managed child care. It should be predominantly not-for-profit or public. The quality must be high, and those who work in child care must be qualified and paid accordingly. The project is ambitious and expensive, but if done right it will pay for itself. We urge you to support it and hold the government to account for building the child care system Canada needs and wants.
Lastly, despite some gaps, we applaud the government's efforts to continue to work at increasing equity for all Canadians. We support the commitment to combatting systemic racism and anti-Black racism, both in the federal public service and across Canada.
We're encouraged by the funding dedicated to ensuring the rights of those living with disabilities, funding in support of the work of the LGBTQ2 secretariat and the development of an action plan, as well as continued funding to address long-standing issues in indigenous communities.
Mr. Chair, thank you for your time. I look forward to any questions.
Thank you.