BCGEU
The federal NDP’s Early Learning and Child Care Act passed second reading in the House of Commons by a vote of 144 to 116, on November 21.
Bill C303 will now go to committee review before being returned to Parliament for a third vote, possibly in February 2008.
The dedicated efforts of BCGEU members and allied child care supporters are paying off. The letters, emails, phone calls, and visits from citizens to their Members of Parliament — asking them to support this bill, have clearly been effective.
“Families are desperate for a quality public child care system that is affordable and accessible,” says BCGEU President George Heyman.
“Bill C303 offers the framework to build a universal system of child care, similar to the way health care is delivered in our country.”
Bill C303 will ensure accountability, quality, universality, and accessibility in child care. It will establish each of these as an official condition that provinces and territories must meet before any money can be transferred from the federal government for child care purposes.
This bill also helps protect non-profit delivery of child care. Any agency, including a for-profit agency, that currently provides early learning or child care services will continue to be eligible for funding. But no new for-profit agencies will be eligible for public funding under Bill C303.
“I commend everyone who has raised their voice through the national Code Blue and BC Child Care – Let’s Make It Happen! campaigns thus far,” says Heyman.
BCGEU members are urged to continue to let their elected representatives know that building an affordable, accessible, quality public child care system is a key priority for working families. If it clears third reading, the legislation must still be approved by Senate and proclaimed into law.
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Hansard from House of Commons
Nov 20, 2007
Early Learning and Child Care Act – EXCERPTS [view full document]
The House proceeded to the consideration of Bill C-303, An Act to establish criteria and conditions in respect of funding for early learning and child care programs in order to ensure the quality, accessibility, universality and accountability of those programs, and to appoint a council to advise the Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development on matters relating to early learning and child care, as reported, with amendment, from the committee.
Ms. Denise Savoie (Victoria, NDP)
moved that the bill, as amended, be concurred in.
The Acting Speaker (Mr. Andrew Scheer):
Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion?
Some hon. members: Agreed.
(Motion agreed to)
Ms. Denise Savoie
moved that the bill be read the third time and passed.
The Acting Speaker (Mr. Andrew Scheer):
Because there was so much noise and there were people standing in the House, it was difficult for me to hear the members from the other end, so in fairness to all members and to ensure that those members have a voice when they desire to do so, I will call for the yeas and nays again and we are going to proceed from there.
Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion?
Some hon. members: Agreed.
Some hon. members: No.
The Acting Speaker (Mr. Andrew Scheer): All those in favour of the motion will please say yea.
Some hon. members: Yea.
The Acting Speaker (Mr. Andrew Scheer): All those opposed will please say nay.
Some hon. members: Nay.
The Acting Speaker (Mr. Andrew Scheer): In my opinion the yeas have it.….
Child Care
Ms. Denise Savoie (Victoria, NDP):
Mr. Speaker, the Conservative child care policy has failed working families. The Prime Minister talks about giving parents choice, but tens of thousands of parents are stuck on long wait lists. They watch fees rise out of reach or their local day care centres close because the centres cannot find or afford qualified staff. What choice do these parents have?
Working parents know the importance of quality child care for the healthy development of their children. What about their choice?
Today’s vote on my Bill C-303 is crucial. The bill would guarantee affordable, high quality early learning and child care that working families need and want and that Conservatives could not take away.
I ask all Canadians to join me in telling the Conservative government to stop restricting parents’ choices and standing in the way of our children’s futures.
The House resumed from November 20, consideration of the motion that Bill C-303, An Act to establish criteria and conditions in respect of funding for early learning and child care programs in order to ensure the quality, accessibility, universality and accountability of those programs, and to appoint a council to advise the Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development on matters relating to early learning and child care, as amended, be concurred in at report stage.
YEAS
Members
Alghabra; Angus; Asselin; Atamanenko; Bachand; Bagnell; Bains; Barbot;;Barnes; Beaumier; Bélanger; Bell (Vancouver Island North); Bell (North Vancouver); Bellavance; Bennett; Bevilacqua; Bevington; Bigras; Black; Blais; Bonin; Bonsant; Boshcoff; Bouchard; Brison; Brown (Oakville); Brunelle; Byrne; Cannis; Cardin; Carrier; Chan; Charlton; Chow ;Christopherson; Coderre; Comartin; Crête; Crowder; Cullen (Skeena—Bulkley Valley); Cuzner; D’Amours; Davies; DeBellefeuille; Demers; Deschamps; Dewar; Dhaliwal; Dhalla;Dryden; Duceppe; Eyking; Faille; Gagnon; Gaudet; Godfrey; Godin; Gravel; Guarnieri; Guay;Guimond; Holland; Hubbard; Jennings; Julian; Kadis; Karetak-Lindell; Karygiannis; Keeper; Kotto; Laforest; Laframboise; Lalonde; Lavallée; Layton; Lee; Lemay; Lessard; Lévesque; Lussier; Malhi ;Malo; Maloney; Marleau; Marston; Martin (Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca); Martin; (Winnipeg Centre); Martin (Sault Ste. Marie); Masse; Mathyssen; Matthews; McGuinty; McGuire; McKay (Scarborough—Guildwood); McTeague; Ménard (Hochelaga); Ménard (Marc-Aurèle-Fortin); Minna; Murphy (Moncton—Riverview—Dieppe); Murphy (Charlottetown); Nash; Neville; Ouellet; Pacetti; Paquette; Patry; Pearson; Perron; Picard; Plamondon; Priddy; Ratansi ;Regan; Rodriguez; Rota; Roy; Savage; Savoie; Scott; Siksay; Silva; Simard; Simms; St-Cyr; St-Hilaire; St. Amand; St. Denis; Szabo; Telegdi; Temelkovski; Thi Lac; Thibault (Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques); Thibault (West Nova); Tonks; Valley; Vincent ;Wasylycia-Leis; Wrzesnewskyj.
Total: — 138
NAYS
Members
Abbott Ablonczy Albrecht Allen Ambrose Anders Anderson Arthur Baird Batters Bezan Blackburn Blaney Breitkreuz Brown (Leeds—Grenville) Brown (Barrie) Bruinooge Calkins Cannan (Kelowna—Lake Country) Cannon (Pontiac) Carrie Casson Chong Clement Comuzzi Cummins Davidson Day Del Mastro Devolin Doyle Dykstra Emerson Epp Fast Finley Fitzpatrick Flaherty Fletcher Galipeau Gallant Goldring Goodyear Gourde Grewal Hanger Harris Harvey Hawn Hearn Hiebert Hill Hinton Jean Kamp (Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge—Mission) Kenney (Calgary Southeast) Komarnicki Kramp (Prince Edward—Hastings) Lake Lauzon Lebel Lemieux Lukiwski Lunn Lunney MacKenzie Manning Mayes Menzies Merrifield Miller Mills Moore (Port Moody—Westwood—Port Coquitlam) Nicholson Norlock O’Connor Obhrai Pallister Paradis Petit Poilievre Preston Rajotte Reid Richardson Scheer Schellenberger Shipley Skelton Smith Solberg Sorenson Stanton Storseth Strahl Sweet Thompson (New Brunswick Southwest) Thompson (Wild Rose) Tilson Toews Trost Tweed Van Kesteren Van Loan Vellacott Verner Wallace Warawa Warkentin Watson Williams Yelich
Total: — 112
The Speaker:
I declare the motion carried.