Bill No. 13 - Day Care Act - Second Reading

MS. CLAUDIA CHENDER « » : As the minister and my colleague have both said, this is essentially a housekeeping bill, although I do recognize that it does contain some important language changes. Some of those are just legislative housekeeping in terms of putting the bill in gender-neutral and clear language, which as a former lawyer, I appreciate.

The one change that is really important here, and I congratulate the government on recognizing this, is the change of the name of the Act itself. Language matters, and early childhood educators deserve recognition for being the educated, hard-working, professionals that they are and for the vital work that they do. Too often, when we talk about daycares or child care, there is a sense that these important professionals are babysitters - I assure you that they are not. I do congratulate the government on making that change. I think it's an important one.

Beyond that, these are mostly routine changes. More oversight, on its face, is good. I agree with my colleague that the devil will be in the details. We will see how that unfolds, both for the agencies and for the regulated child care homes.

In an environment where it's still difficult for many families to find affordable and accessible early learning opportunities, particularly for younger children, I suggest that bigger changes are needed. Mr. Speaker, 300 spots are something, and I congratulate the government on their movement towards more spots for early learning and infant care in particular, but that's not enough. It's not affordable enough, and it's not accessible enough. To further exacerbate that, it appears that some poor planning has lead to serious labour force issues in that area.

We appreciate most of these changes. We look forward to seeing them unfold. Like my colleagues, I look forward to hearing further comments from parents, early childhood educators, and other workers in this sector at Law Amendments, and to seeing the legislative process unfold. 

With those few words, I'll take my seat.