We need a national child-care system
The Daily News (Nanaimo)
07 Nov 2007
Marta Juorio, Nanaimo

THE EDITOR:

A national child-care system for Canada is long overdue. Federal leadership is needed to set up legislative guidelines to create a stable system that will not be at the whim of changing governments. Successive federal governments have been skipping around the issue without resolving it.

The shameful decision of the present government to cancel the $5-billion agreement with the provinces and territories to start an affordable, quality system speaks clearly of the conservative agenda.

The $1,200 taxable allowance for every child under the age of six is plain mockery.

The attempt to create 125,000 spaces over five years by offering tax breaks to businesses to open spaces did not tempt any corporation, as predicted by many.

Businesses are not interested even if a good child-care centre to support their employees would give handsome returns in loyalty, productivity and retention.

Their goal is to make money.

Child care is not child minding. To provide a quality program for every child enrolled takes effort and knowledge and it costs money.

The government decision to give the money to the provinces, no strings attached, will result in perpetuating the non-system that already exists.

It has opened the door for chain corporations to come knocking at Canada's door. In B.C., the use of public dollars to develop foreign-owned child care is a significant shift in policy because, for the first time, capital dollars are available to for profit-driven child-care businesses.

If child care is to provide quality and leave a reasonable margin of profit, it would be unaffordable for the majority of parents who need it most.

A country aspiring to compete in the world scene should start by nurturing the very foundation of their future.