Childcare

Bill C-35

I am proud to be the sponsor of Bill C-35, the Canada Early Learning and Child Care Act.

Taking care of children—looking after the physical and cognitive development from their very first days—has been my life’s work and passion. I have seen firsthand all the benefits of high quality early childhood education and know the positive it can have for a child’s life.

This bill represents the culmination of decades of advocacy by childcare experts, advocates for children and women and economists. Its passage would enshrine in law a federal commitment to cooperate with provinces, territories and Indigenous peoples to build and sustain a service for generations of families, to the benefit of communities and the country as a whole.

Watch my speech at 2nd Reading in the Senate

Resources for More Information

Early Childhood Education and Care in Canada 2021 by the Childcare Resource and Research Unit (English only): This report, written by the Childcare Resource and Research Unit, is a compilation of cross-Canada, longitudinal data and information about regulated early learning and child care (ELCC), kindergarten and parental leave.

A summary of the Canada-wide early learning and child care agreements and action plans by the Childcare Resource and Research Unit (English only): This document provides a summary of selected elements of  the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care initiative (CWELCC)  introduced in 2021.

Publications

I have previously written about the importance of childcare in the media. See below for links to my recent op-eds on the topic.

Transformational investment in child care is needed in budget 2021

Link: https://policyoptions.irpp.org/magazines/april-2021/transformational-investment-in-child-care-is-needed-in-budget-2021/

  • This article was published in collaboration with Former Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick Margaret McCain and appeared in the April 8th, 2021 edition of Policy Options.

National child-care deal would be transformational

Link: https://www.thespec.com/opinion/contributors/national-child-care-deal-would-be-transformational/article_9645d0d3-64e9-5e51-9d49-c316d20e7b92.html?