Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Amendment BQ‑6 moves that Bill C‑35, in the preamble, be amended by adding after line 3 on page 2 the following:
Whereas the Government of Canada recognizes that, because of the special and unique nature of the jurisdiction of the Government of Quebec relating to early learning and child care and because Quebec developed accessible, affordable and quality educational child care services as part of its family policy of 1997, the Government of Quebec did not agree to the multilateral framework since it intends to retain sole responsibility for this matter within its boundaries;
This amendment is important because it recognizes all the work done by the Quebec government for over 25 years now in the area of family policy and early childhood education. The Government of Quebec declined Ottawa's invitation to participate in the meetings to develop the multilateral framework and learning. The reason for that is simple: Quebec is responsible for its own jurisdiction and takes full responsibility for its family policy and educational framework. In this sense, it is not accountable.
Once again, I urge my colleagues to vote in favour of this amendment and recognize Quebec's jurisdiction in this matter.