I'm actually not French. I can't really even say my own last name. I did marry one, so it's 50-50 in our house.
Listening to Dave, Yvonne and Bev, I'm only going to give you a quick introduction of who I am and I'll skip my speech, because it's all the same thing. We all want choice.
My name is Sara Landriault. I am a stay-at-home mom with three girls. I was yesterday, I am today, I will be tomorrow. Whether I go back down to $10,000 a year, $50,000 a year, or $150,000 a year, I will fight my butt off to do that because it's what I believe. But it's not what my neighbours believe and it's not what everybody else believes. They all have their different choices. I want their choices respected as much as mine.
I've started a group, and it's the fault of you guys--no offence. It's a grassroots organization called National Family Childcare Association. We came about because of bills like this, and when the Liberals were introducing the national day care last year, or the year before. We came about because it made us mad. We're sitting on the couches eating bonbons, watching soap operas--whatever you guys believe we're doing. It really ticked us off.... Sorry, I try not to swear.
So I did something. I've e-mailed every one of you. I'm sorry I don't speak French. I have tried, and my translator has been busy lately. I have e-mailed each one of you my thoughts. Sometimes I'm angry, sometimes I'm not. Today we're in a good mood because I'm not angry; I'm terrified at speaking in front of you.
It's not that we don't want the bill. The NFCA, I myself, everybody involved in it--we want a bill like this. We simply want a bill that's going to help all of us, because there are families out there--and you will be introduced to them--that are making $20,000 and $30,000 a year with three or four kids, or more, or less, that are at home. Okay, they're eating their Kraft Dinner, they're driving beat-up old cars, they need new tires, they need this, they need that. They're not putting their kids in hockey, not because they don't want to but because they can't. They simply believe in caring for their own children, and that's what they want to do. There should be no discrimination toward them, and no discrimination to women who want to go out and work, get paid for it, and move up the corporate ladder, or stay at McDonald's. I mean, there should be no difference between any of us. We should all be respected as parents.
I don't even extend the “as women” bit, because lots of dads are staying at home. There are men's groups popping up all over the place--dads at home, stay-at-home dads. It's not all about being a mom. It's about being a parent. Whether you're straight, gay, black, white, it doesn't matter. We're parents. We should be respected for what we believe is right with our children. Sorry, I didn't mean to yell that at you.
You can read the rest in the briefs I've put in, but honestly, they have said everything I could have said on the statistics. I am no scholar. I'm not going to give you the right statistics; they're actually better off with that. I get what I get off the Internet at home. My computer's in my bedroom with a bunch of files called “Childcare”.
For anything else you want, please feel free to ask me any questions.