Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Minister, good morning to you and to the members of your team.
Welcome once again to the Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities.
I can’t help but give a little context when I hear about Canadian policy on day care services. As we’ve often said in the Chamber, it is a matter of societal choice. Indeed, it’s complicated for the federal government to tell the provinces to create day care spaces, because that choice belongs to the provinces. It’s up to them to manage training for day care workers, set ratios and decide whether services will be public or private. Every province makes choices, and some provinces never made the choice that Quebec did over 25 years ago. Quebec is a leader.
When the federal government says that creating day care spaces is good for families and for women’s return to the labour market, it is correct. That’s also the model we created for ourselves. If some aren’t satisfied with what’s happening at home, all they have to do is make the same choice and invest in this model. It’s a social program. The federal government is imposing a model, but the federal government won’t be the one to create a universal day care policy.
You said the system helped 750,000 children since its inception, but I would imagine you’re including Quebec in there, which we shouldn’t do.
If we exclude Quebec, how many spaces were created?