Childcare

Media Release: The NDP forced the Liberals to deliver affordable, accessible, quality child care for Canadian families

As C-35 — a National Child Care Program — passes through third reading in the House of Commons, NDP critic for Families, Children and Social Development Leah Gazan (Winnipeg Centre) issued the following statement:

“For decades, parents across Canada have had to scramble to find child care that suits their needs and that won’t break the bank.

After almost thirty years of broken Liberal promises, it took the dedication and relentless efforts of child care workers, advocates and New Democrats to push them to finally deliver a National Child Care program.

Left on their own, the Liberals would have delayed the National Child Care program even further. And Pierre Poilievre and the Conservatives have a track record of opposing affordable child care for Canadians.

Thanks to the NDP’s pressure through the Confidence and Supply Agreement and child care advocates' tireless work, a National Child Care Program will include long-term federal funding for provinces and Indigenous peoples to deliver affordable, accessible, inclusive and quality child care that families deserve.

HANSARD: What government needs to do to support early childhood education workers getting into the sector, and how to retain them?

HANSARD: Jenny asks if the Canada Child Benefit will be increased by $500

IN THE NEWS: Star - Jagmeet Singh’s NDP has tied itself to the Liberals. Is the party ready for what happens next?

“Is it enough? No. Is it what a New Democratic government would do? No. But it is using the power we have to make real change for people, and to do the things that we have run on for decades.”

NEWS: CBC - How the Liberal-NDP agreement will work and what it might mean for Canadians

The "supply-and-confidence" agreement struck between the governing Liberals and the opposition New Democrats could affect the kind of legislation Canadians can expect to see pass through Parliament between now and 2025.

According to the deal, those key policy areas are climate change, health care spending, reconciliation with Indigenous peoples, economic growth and efforts to make life more affordable.

Parliament Video: The federal government needs to invest in child care this year!

On January 28, 2020, I stood to make a statement opn the importance and need for federal investments to make truly universal, accessible, affordable, quality childcare a reality: