Finance committee  I just want to say thank you.

Finance committee  The new workforce study out by the Child Care Human Resources Sector Council, just released on Friday, does have some very short-term benefits where we don't have to wait 6 or 12 years. With some of those that I was talking about, every $1 million that goes into the sector creates more jobs than investing that $1 million anywhere else--more than in construction, more than in manufacturing.

Finance committee  Yes, $5 billion to $6 billion annually.

Finance committee  Why do I think?

Finance committee  It's beyond me to get into the heads of politicians. I'm not quite sure.

Finance committee  I think there is some ideology over the years that has gotten in the way. I think that women working in the workforce haven't been taken seriously throughout the years. I think we pay lip service to our children in Canada and say they're our most important resource, but I don't think we always step up to the plate and do the right thing by them.

Finance committee  Thank you.

Finance committee  We're looking at some of the international benchmarks, so, for instance, right now Canada is spending less than 0.3%, and we're talking about beginning at 0.7% of GDP and moving up to 1%. A target could be achieved by—I'm just looking at my notes because the numbers in my head are not the easiest—increments of $1.5 billion annually.

Finance committee  I'm not an economist, but I know that Canada spends money, and we find money to spend on things that we think are important. So whether the money comes from a reduction at a bureaucratic level or wherever, we need to make this investment now.

Finance committee  I didn't want to postpone my chance to reply; I just wasn't sure about the process you were using. If I could take two minutes, I want to ask Paul if he would reply to your question. Would that be all right?

Finance committee  You go ahead.

Finance committee  Thank you to the members of the committee for this opportunity to present today. My name is Susan Harney and I'm here for the Child Care Advocacy Association of Canada. I think this is the 25th year that I've presented to the federal committee on child care. I remain optimistic that perhaps this is the year the committee will hear the arguments about the benefits of child care to children, the workforce, and particularly the economy, and this will be the year that our government will choose to prioritize the building of a national child care system.