Thank you for coming to meet with us today in order to discuss this very important issue. I am from Quebec. I therefore view the situation differently. I would however like to share with you the objectives that led us to wanting to establish a universal program. The idea was to ensure that the greatest possible number of children be able to benefit from it.
It is important for you to know that when we finally did obtain our program, we had been working on it for more than 30 years. Parents, and especially women, were demanding this service. Before the advent of this universal program, we of course were using all sorts of means to fill this gap, so as to be able to go to work, to access the labour market, etc. These were solutions that clearly did not satisfy the majority of people and that many women could not afford, because of low-paying jobs, etc.
The purpose of this program was not only to fill this need but also to ensure that children develop in the best possible conditions. These best conditions, in our view, involve the hiring of qualified staff to offer this service, and that there be not only an educational program, but also a program taking into account the social aspect, in other words the ability of children to interact amongst each other, and taking into account the fact that the workers in this field are often women. If they are paid minimum wage, we cannot expect a high retention rate and improvements in the service offered over time. Thirty years also means that we did not achieve everything overnight. However, today, the program is operating to the satisfaction of the majority of people and is very well accepted.
I need to understand. Is the provision of a universal program a valid objective for each and everyone of you? We hear a lot of talk about money. The funny thing is that when it is war that we are talking about, money is less important. When we are talking about children, all of a sudden, it becomes an insurmountable obstacle. However, it seems that with what we are providing to the children of today who need this program, we cannot tell them to wait 10 years in order for us to find the money needed. If there were a program that allowed you to access additional funding, the idea being to provide access to the majority of people, would that not be a valid objective that everyone could rally around?