Finance Committee on May 21st, 2021

[Michelle Travis]

That's a good question. We don't know that. Again, the Red Cross is in there. We don't know what they're paying them. Again, you'd have to verify this, but we did hear that they sought employees from the street and trained them to do some of the work that our members would be doing, and that they've also hired a cleaning company. Again, we don't know what they're paying them.

[Ed Fast, Conservative, Abbotsford, BC]

Okay.

[The Chair, Liberal, Wayne Easter]

Thank you.

Okay, Ed, you can ask one more.

[Ed Fast, Conservative, Abbotsford, BC]

One more, one more.

You mentioned that the CEWS program has been a bit of a disaster when it comes to putting in safeguards that would prevent what happened at Pacific Gateway and other hotels. Have you seen any safeguards implemented with respect to the new hiring subsidy program, or is the government simply repeating the mistakes it made with CEWS?

[Michelle Travis]

I think it's too early to tell, because it's a proposed program. I don't know if they've issued all the rules. The only thing we've seen so far in a write-up about the program—it's not supposed to go into effect until after the budget passes, so maybe it starts in June—is that it's only supposed to be used by Canadian-based private companies. Other than that, it's not clear to us what conditions or restrictions would be built into the program to avoid some of the abuses we saw under the wage subsidy program. These abuses continue.

[Ed Fast, Conservative, Abbotsford, BC]

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Wayne Easter]

That program is actually in the bill we're discussing, the budget implementation act, so it isn't out there yet.

Mr. Fraser, you'll get to wrap it up.

[Sean Fraser, Liberal, Central Nova, NS]

I'll be very quick with my question. It's for Ms. Pihlak.

I really enjoyed your testimony on the issue of child care. I'll pick up where my colleague Mr. Falk left off, on the issue of choice in child care.

I live in a rural community. I have a mix of small towns and really rural areas. For some people, the issue is whether they can afford it, and programs like the Canada child benefit are a big help. However, in communities like the one where I grew up, Merigomish, there isn't a child care facility. You might have a neighbour who can help you out, but you're not going to a registered facility.

I'm curious. Can you elaborate on your explanation that the vision for a national child care strategy is to extend universal access to affordable child care, whether you live in a big city, a small town or a rural community? Can you explain in a little more detail what you meant when you said, “For a lot of people right now, there is no choice.”

[Kara Pihlak]

Yes, and I'd just like to reply to an earlier comment that perhaps a neighbour or a family member could watch the child. That's a privilege for a chosen few. There are single mothers and there are people of colour who do not have the option to have quality child care. This is a public program. We're taking away personal responsibility. Child care is a right. A child has a right to quality early childhood education, from zero until they're 18. I'm just going to say that off the top.

However, “choice” means that we will fund small home day cares and we will fund large day cares. We will fund child care across the country, from my centre to a centre in Newfoundland, a centre in Saskatchewan and a centre in Manitoba. Regardless of the colour of the parents' skin, the amount of money the parents make or whether the child lives in a single-parent home, no child will be left behind.

I'm passionate about each child having a right to the program, whether or not parents are privileged enough to have someone in the neighbourhood to watch their child.

[Sean Fraser, Liberal, Central Nova, NS]

Thank you so much for the question, Mr. Chair. I think that brings us to the end.

[The Chair, Liberal, Wayne Easter]

It does, and certainly we've had an interesting panel here. We've had some great testimony and a few exchanges between members, which is not altogether unusual, and that wraps up I don't know how many panels we've had this week.

On behalf of the committee, I want to thank all the witnesses for coming, for taking the time out of their day to make their presentations and for answering our questions.

There is no finance committee meeting tomorrow. I know that everybody on the committee will be glad.

Thank you all. With that, I wish you all the best.

The meeting is adjourned.