Canadian Union of Public Employees

OTTAWA, Dec. 21 /CNW Telbec/ – A new online action centre is upping the pressure on Social Development Minister Ken Dryden to lay the best groundwork for a new child care system.

Visitors to www.buildchildcare.ca will be able to send a message to Dryden, their provincial minister responsible for child care and other decision-makers. The site, run by the Canadian Union of Public Employees, joins other advocacy campaigns promoting the four building blocks of quality child care.

“This online campaign will add new voices to the call for Minister Dryden to make sure that Canada’s new child care system is publicly funded and publicly delivered,” said CUPE National President Paul Moist.

The building blocks call for a publicly funded, universal and sustainable system that’s non-profit and accountable, and which is enshrined in legislation. Moist said the need for Canadians to mobilize for a high-quality, fully public system has never been clearer.

“In the coming months, Minister Dryden and his provincial and territorial counterparts will be making decisions that will make or break the system,” said Moist. “We need to make sure they build it right from the start. We need them to make it public.”

“The website was developed so that parents, workers and kids can take part in the decision-making process and advocate for the high-quality system Canadians deserve and need,” said Moist.