Vancouver Todays ministerial meeting didnt deliver the child care program Canadians have been waiting for but the doors still open to build a high-quality system.
We wished the ministers had reached an agreement for cross-Canada child care program today. But no deal is better than a bad deal, says CUPE National President Paul Moist.
Moist says Canadas largest union has been working hard, in coalition with child care advocates, pushing federal and provincial officials to build the best child care program possible.
Our concerns about accountability, quality and for-profit care have had an impact. The federal governments clearly not prepared to hand over $5 billion without strings.
Moist says the federal, provincial and territorial governments must move forward, and that work can start right away. Quebec has set the example, it is time to follow their lead.
The upcoming federal budget will include child care funding, and that money can start flowing at once. Then there are no more excuses. We will push Minister Dryden to use his spending power and negotiate with those provinces that come to the table with plans to deliver high-quality, affordable, universal care through a public, not-for-profit system.
But Moist says CUPE also expects other provinces to stop being roadblocks to putting in place good child care.
Starting today, the pressure on any holdout provinces will only get stronger. Canadian parents dont want to wait any longer before they get quality care.
The room is there now to build the right kind of child care system, and get it right from the start. No more delays. No more disappointments. Working parents have been waiting a long time, and our patience is wearing thin.
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Contact:
Karin Jordan, CUPE Communications, cell (613) 222-4436
Paul Moist, National President, cell (613) 558-2873
Claude Gnreux, National Secretary-Treasurer (porte-parole francophone), cell (613) 794-8395