Mr. Speaker, the first step that needs to be taken in all of this, in order for money to be transferred to the provinces under any agreement, is to pass the budget on Thursday night.
House of Commons photoLost his last election, in 2011, with 33% of the vote.
Social Development May 18th, 2005
Mr. Speaker, the first step that needs to be taken in all of this, in order for money to be transferred to the provinces under any agreement, is to pass the budget on Thursday night.
Social Development May 18th, 2005
Mr. Speaker, as I have said many times in the House, we have ongoing negotiations and discussions with the province of Quebec. We are very hopeful that those negotiations will end up in an agreement.
Social Development May 10th, 2005
Mr. Speaker, I will remind the member opposite that in last year's election campaign the commitment was a $2,000 tax credit. That $2,000 tax credit would have the magnificent impact of affecting those who are the worst off, those who are the poorest in the country, to the amount of $320 per child.
The average cost of child care in the country is over $8,000. That is a tax deduction. That is not child care.
Social Development May 10th, 2005
Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind the member opposite that the commitment that was made in last year's election campaign was not just $5 billion over five years for a system of early learning and child care but a national early learning and child care system. It is a commitment made now and a commitment to deliver now and in the future in order to build a national early learning and child care system.
Child Care May 9th, 2005
Mr. Speaker, I can really only repeat the answer I gave a moment ago, plus the fact that it has been made very clear to everyone in the House and also to everyone in the province of Quebec the kind of inspiration that the province of Quebec has represented in the area of child care. All of what it has done in the past will be reflected in any agreement to which we come.
Child Care May 9th, 2005
Mr. Speaker, as I have said in the House before, we have had ongoing discussions and negotiations with the province of Quebec. I am very hopeful that in the days and weeks ahead we will be able to come to an agreement.
Social Development May 4th, 2005
Mr. Speaker, I know the hard work the hon. member has put into the area of child care.
As the hon. member mentioned, we have come to agreements with Saskatchewan and Manitoba and we are looking to conclude other agreements along the way.
As the hon. member knows, the way child care is delivered across the country is both in not for profit and for profit, and it is also delivered around the world in the same sort of way. The key component in all this for everyone is quality.
Social Development May 3rd, 2005
Mr. Speaker, as I said a moment ago, we are in preliminary discussions with the province of Quebec. Those conversations have gone well. I expect them to go well. They are discussions that are conducted with the understanding of all that has been done in the area of early learning and child care in the province of Quebec. We would hope to come to an agreement that would respect all of that.
Social Development May 3rd, 2005
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased that the Government of Canada has signed agreements in principle with the governments of Manitoba and Saskatchewan that will support the development of early learning and child care in those provinces.
I am hopeful that Quebec will participate in a new initiative on early learning and child care. A new initiative should be flexible enough to accommodate each jurisdiction's particular priorities and circumstances. We all know that Quebec is a leader when it comes to child care in this country. We are respectful of Quebec and its leadership on early learning and child care, and at this moment our officials have had preliminary negotiations on how we might move forward in--
Child Care April 18th, 2005
Mr. Speaker, a lot is at stake. It is not just the $5 billion over five years and the chance to finally build an early learning and child care system across the country with the ambitions of a real system, but more specifically, the moment the budget bill passed, $700 million would pass to the provinces and territories for early learning and child care with a deal or no deal.
That is $700 million, a 30% increase in what all governments across the country currently spend on child care. In an instant, it is there or it is gone. To put this at risk all for the sake of a few weeks, why the rush?