House of Commons photoLost his last election, in 2011, with 33% of the vote.
Social Development February 10th, 2005
Mr. Speaker, our intention is to create a system that has quality across the country.
Our focus is on quality, delivering quality for parents and for young kids in their early development; working with the people across the country in small towns and in bigger places; work with what we are, improve what we are and to create this system.
Social Development February 10th, 2005
Mr. Speaker, what we are trying to do in the area of early learning and child care is to make a breakthrough that has not happened for the last 20 years or more, and that is to move something from fragments, from very good individual parts, but to something that really represents a system with the ambitions of a system and the expectations of a system so that children in this country can have the kind of early learning and child care development that can come from that sort of assistance.
Social Development February 10th, 2005
Mr. Speaker, we will be meeting with the provinces and territories this weekend. We will not be coming to an agreement. Any kind of understanding will come later, after budget time. Quebec has been a very constructive member of all of this and we expect that we will be able to work out an arrangement with the government of Quebec.
Social Development February 10th, 2005
Mr. Speaker, I can only try to simplify my answer. The answer is the same answer. There are conversations coming up this weekend in which the government of Quebec will be present. It has been a constructive member of these discussions. It has added to the experience around the table and I am very confident that we will be able to work out something with the government of Quebec.
Social Development February 10th, 2005
Mr. Speaker, I can only repeat the answer I gave before. We have been respectful of the jurisdiction of Quebec, of the leadership that Quebec has taken and of the inspiration that it has provided in the area of early learning and child care. I am optimistic that we will be able to find a way for Quebec to participate.
Social Development February 10th, 2005
Mr. Speaker, as I have said repeatedly in the House, we will respect the jurisdiction of the province of Quebec. We are respectful of its leadership in early learning and child care, and we will continue to be.
I am optimistic that we can find a way for Quebec to participate in this new initiative.
Child Care February 8th, 2005
Mr. Speaker, as I have said in the House before, the challenge in front of us is to create a system of early learning and child care in every province and in every territory across the country. The challenge is to go from where we are now, where we do not have a system, to where we do create a system. At this stage in Canada, delivery is largely not for profit but there is also for profit. We have to focus on quality across the country in order to develop this system.
Social Development February 3rd, 2005
Mr. Speaker, I agree with the sentiments the hon. member has expressed.
We know that the language used by a child when he or she first goes to daycare is likely to be the language used in kindergarten, elementary school and high school.
That access to quality child care in French is very important for the future health of the francophone community in this country. I have raised this with my provincial and territorial counterparts and will continue to work with them to recognize the needs of these children in the new investments in early learning and child care.
Child Care February 3rd, 2005
Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned, these conversations are ongoing. They are with the government of Quebec. They have been very fruitful. They have been very helpful. The government of Quebec representatives have assisted the processes consistently. We will be talking in terms of funding at this meeting and after that.
Child Care February 3rd, 2005
Mr. Speaker, as the hon. member knows, we have had ongoing discussions with the government of Quebec, with representatives of the government of Quebec, including some very fruitful meetings in November. We have been assured in conversations with the government of Quebec that they will be in Vancouver next week for those meetings.
As I have said repeatedly in this House, the Quebec early learning and child care system is an inspiration for this child care system that we are looking to implement across the country.