Thank you.
When we look at quality, we look at structural dimensions—which include staff-child ratios, group size and staff qualifications, as I said—and then processed dimensions, which look more at the experience that the child has with a caregiver. We know, as I think was said earlier by another witness, that we don't necessarily have a consistent definition of “quality”, but I would say those are the two measures.
A well-known report, issued some years ago, called “You Bet I Care!”, focusing largely on staffing and working conditions, concluded that the majority of licensed care in Canada is of minimal to mediocre quality.
I acknowledge that there have been reports suggesting that for-profit care may be of lower quality, but we don't want to assume that all care across Canada is necessarily high quality. I think the same researchers are saying—