Childcare Options for Nova Scotians - QP
CLAUDIA CHENDER « » : Mr. Speaker, this government promised to open an additional 1,500 daycare spots by this December, and 9,500 more by 2026 - but Nova Scotian families can't find a spot right now. It seems that every week we hear news of another centre closing, and those in the sector are warning us that this trend will continue. One daycare operator told us, I think we will see more and more private centres close in the next couple of months. I'll table that.
As we are one month out from the government's deadline of over 1,000 new spots, can the Premier assure families that this promise will not be broken?
THE PREMIER « » : What I would assure families is that we are absolutely committed to affordable child care in this province. It's absolutely critical. We know with the cost of living rises, the pressure is on families. We know that affordable child care is something that we need for every family for so many reasons. That's where our focus is.
There is no denying that the implementation of the Canada-wide agreement is not without its difficulties, that is for sure. It is not without its stress for many of those private operators. We understand that, but our focus remains on getting through that transition, making sure that Nova Scotian families have access to affordable daycare and child care. That is where our focus will always remain.
CLAUDIA CHENDER « » : It sounds like Nova Scotian families won't have access to those spots that were promised.
This week it was reported that military families here in Halifax won't, either. The Halifax & Region Military Family Resource Centre in Windsor Park - the only extended hours option for military families on this side of the harbour - will be closing due to a chronic shortage of staff. This reflects a widespread problem, as centres have reported their challenges in recruiting and retaining early childhood educators. I've reported that directly to the department.
One long-time ECE said earlier this year: For me to have to work from 8:00 in the morning until 9:30 at night just to make ends meet is very difficult. I could go to, let's say, Costco, and make more money per hour and only have to work one job.
I'll table that. The new wage framework does not address this issue. The Province cannot afford to lose any more ECEs if it's to meet its goal of 9,500 new spots by 2026. How does the Premier plan to recruit and retain all these workers without paying a living wage?
THE PREMIER « » : We're deeply concerned about this, for sure. We want to make sure families have access to their child care. It's absolutely critical. We want to make sure that those providing the child care are being paid a fair and proper wage. That's obviously been a focus of our government. We know, the track record is there on doing what we can to provide that. We'll continue to do that.
We're concerned, and we're working with a number of the operators, for sure. Certainly, the military families are one, absolutely. I know they had some options for the families there. Maybe some of those options don't work for some of the families, but we'll do what we can to continue to work with the providers and make sure we put the families first.
CLAUDIA CHENDER « » : I think one possible option for families in Windsor Park was to drive to Shearwater, which doesn't seem like a real option to me.
As a result of the most recent daycare closures, families are having to look further away from their homes and workplaces to find new spots, sometimes with no luck. After the closure of a Fall River daycare, one mother remarked: I'm on so many wait-lists right now I can't even remember how many. I'll table that.
Daycare closures pose a real challenge to families, and affected families face potential job losses. As the executive director of a Dartmouth centre said: You may not have a child in daycare, but it will impact your ability to hire people and your ability to obtain services from other industries, because people can't work if they don't have child care.
My question to the Premier is: Why is he allowing this critical sector to flounder and leaving families behind?
THE PREMIER « » : What I do know is that those providing child care care deeply about the families they're working with. In terms of that specific example, the different options that the people providing the care offer to their families, I certainly wouldn't belittle those and weigh in on those without all of the facts. It's a shame to see that happen.
We know that people put families first. People want to put the child care they're providing first. We'll work with the operators across this province. We'll work within the framework that has been agreed with the federal government. We want to make sure that families have access to affordable child care. That's our only focus. That's where we'll remain.