Everyone should lobby for child care
Cariboo Press - Kelowna Capital News
January 30, 2008
Opinion - Denise Savoie, MP

To the editor:

Thank you for your comprehensive look at the complex problems of child care (Desperate for Day Care, Jan. 27 Capital News). Clearly we need more options to meet the varied needs of today's working families.

My private member's bill--known as C-303 or the NDP's Early Learning and Child Care Act--would guarantee federal help in providing the option of flexible, accessible, quality child care for those families who need or choose it.

We are essentially at the stage where only the Conservatives stand in the way of C-303 becoming law. We brought the Liberals and Bloc on board for two votes in the House of Commons, most recently on Nov. 21, 2007, as a result of the overwhelming campaign by child care advocates and parents across Canada.

However, the Conservatives are using what is called their Royal Prerogative to block a final vote at third reading. In lay terms, even though it holds a minority of seats, the government can technically invoke a veto on a bill that requires spending federal money.

We are calling on all child care advocates, parents and other Canadians to write Conservative MPs and insist that they reverse their wrong-headed course and support the Early Learning and Child Care Act, which has the support of a majority of MPs representing two-thirds of Canadians.

Together, we will make accessible, quality, public child care a reality in Canada.