When people try to do business in less-developed parts of the world, one of the biggest barriers is poor infrastructure: the electricity is unreliable, the water is suspect and the transportation risky.

Having safe, reliable infrastructure gives Canadian business a tremendous advantage in the world, one taxpayers are happy to support as a good investment.

So why is it that we don't provide similar support for child care?

We want people to have children but people who have children have to work.

The 'normal' family is no longer a mom and a dad with the mom staying at home. It hasn't been for a long time.

Very often these days there is only one parent and that parent has to work. Most families with two parents can't afford to have one of them stay at home, especially if they are trying to buy a house.

None of this should be news to anyone and yet there is a widespread, ongoing failure to recognize that not having a national child care system is a tremendous barrier to success in business and a drain on the economy.

Perhaps because the proponents are mainly women and those in power mainly men, it seems to be regarded as a social cause.

Nothing could be further from the truth. Investing just a little of our incredible wealth in our children will pay dividends for generations.