Madam Speaker, before the pandemic many Canadians were voicing their need for affordable and accessible child care. In fact, the Comox Valley Chamber of Commerce said it is its number one issue. The Liberals have been promising child care for 20 years, in fact, children who needed child care 20 years ago are needing child care now. This summer when the Liberals had the opportunity to invest in child care with transfers to the provinces, they refused to do what was needed. Parents, especially women who want to work outside the home, want to get back to work, but they do not have a safe place to send their kids.
We are fighting for safe, affordable child care. The Province of B.C. has been investing in child care. It needs a federal partner, a champion. I am asking the member: When will this happen? We cannot wait another 20 years. Does the member agree that this is not just a social issue, but a very important economic issue? We saw the success of the program implemented in Quebec. It grew the GDP, 70,000 people went back to work and most of them were women. This is the time to implement such a program as we recover from the pandemic.