QUESTION PERIOD — Ministry of Families, Children and Social Development
National Child Care Program
April 27, 2022
Minister Gould, thanks very much for appearing in the Red Chamber today.
As you may know, I utilize my position as senator to advocate on behalf of the agriculture industry, rural communities and youth. To that effect, I would like to thank your government for the work it has done to support youth, especially throughout the pandemic, and also take this opportunity to commend your government on its national child care program. It’s a critical social and economic reform for families from coast to coast to coast.
That being said, child care is especially hard to find in rural, remote and northern communities, due in part to low population density, large geographic distances and many parents working non-standard schedules.
In fact, many services, from child care to health care to transportation and many other social services are difficult to come by in rural communities. The disparity between urban and rural Canadians has become even more evident and pronounced. According to Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, almost 20% of our population lives in rural, remote, Indigenous, coastal and northern communities, and these communities contribute 30% of Canada’s economic output.
Minister, could you advise what your government will do to ensure that Canadians living in rural, remote and northern communities are not left behind in the efforts to provide affordable and accessible child care?
Absolutely, Senator Black. Thank you so much for raising the question, because this is something that is really important. This cannot be an urban/rural distinction. We have to ensure that child care is available right across the country.
This is a very small example but one I’m excited about in Grayson, Saskatchewan. There is a new public child care facility that is going to be opened in the fall, and that has been funded through the Canada-wide early learning child care agreement with the Government of Saskatchewan. We’re working very closely with provinces and territories to ensure that they’re reaching into those spaces where there is an absence of child care and working with potential operators to open those spaces.
I mention this one because it’s one that’s coming online and it’s going to serve a community that never had child care access before. When it comes to working in remote and northern communities, we have specific engagements and commitments from provinces and territories to make sure that this really is reaching right across the country. There are specific infrastructure challenges in more remote and northern communities. So I’m really keen to dig into the $625-million infrastructure fund that we received in the last budget and see how we can target that specifically to meet those needs.
I heard particularly from the territories about the high costs of infrastructure. So we’re going to work very closely with them to meet those demands. Thank you for raising it.
