Early childhood education and care in the federal Liberal leadership
race
This ISSUE file covers the positioning of early childhood
education and care in the federal Liberal leadership race (leadership
convention is anticipated in November 2003). Additional materials will
be added as they become available.
Debate a Copps-Martin
brawl: Manley adopts gentler tone as rivals do battle--Frontrunner
attacked over cuts to social programs
Toronto Star, May 25, 2003.
Newspaper article.
SHEILA COPPS |
 |
Foundations:
An action plan for Canadians.
Released July 28, 2003.
Full paper in pdf. Excerpt:
“Just as previous generations of Liberals acted wisely to bring
about national healthcare and pension plans, so it is now time to create
the architecture for a national child care strategy. We need more regulated,
quality child care spaces, with public accountability for federal funding,
and we need to act quickly. Sheila would commit $1 billion to achieve
major results within three years.”
North American Conference on the Family,
Longueuil, Quebec, May 22, 2003
Full speech available.
Excerpt:
"This year's federal budget, new money was committed to a national
child care strategy. There are two serious problems, however. There
is not nearly enough funding-only $25 million in the first year-and
the provinces still get to use the money as they see fit.
I would substantially increase the Government of Canada's investment
in child care. And I would insist that the federal government not allow
the funds it provides for child care to be used for anything other than
quality regulated child care spaces."
Diversity fundraising dinner,
Toronto, May 1, 2003
Full speech available.
Excerpt:
"..the blunt fact is that early childhood development programs,
including proper child care spaces, are the weakest part of Canada's
social policy. This is an incredibly serious issue for Canadian kids
and Canadian families. And it is a very serious issue for women in the
workforce-for reasons that are clear to us all.
Just as previous generations of Liberals created the structure for
medicare and the Canada Pension Plan, the time has come for Liberals
to create the architecture for a national child care plan. We need more
regulated, quality child care spaces, with public accountability for
federal funding, and we need to start acting now."
Leadership Fundraising Dinner,
Vancouver, March 28, 2003
Full speech available.
Excerpt:
"There is universal access for child care in Belgium, in Iceland,
in Denmark and in France. Great Britain will have spaces for every three
and four year old by next year. New York, California, Michigan, Georgia
and Oklahoma all have universal pre-school programs for three and four
year olds. Do we really want to be so much worse than all those countries
and states?"
"....This month, the federal, provincial and territorial governments
reached an agreement to make a new framework on early learning and child
care. That proves that the good will is there. It is an important step
but it is only one step.
We need more quality child care spaces . We need public accountability
for federal funding.
More money must be allocated. Solid estimates range from $200 million
in the first year to $800 million in the third.
I acknowledge that there has to be real incentive for provincial governments
to take the appropriate action to create sufficient quality child care
spaces.
That's the carrot. The stick comes in the federal government ensuring
that the funds it provides are not used for anything else.
Just as there are minimum national standards for health care, there
must be minimum national standards for child care. This isn't a debate
about constitutional jurisdiction. This is about doing the right thing
for two year old, three year old and four year old Canadian children."
Child
care priority for Copps campaign
CBC News, May 23, 2003
News item.
Liberal
leadership candidate Copps slams Ontario social spending
Canadaeast.com, May 22, 2003
News item.
Sheila Copps
unveils broad social policy vision for Canada
SOURCE: Sheila Copps website, May 22, 2003
Media release.
JOHN MANLEY |
|
On July 22, 2003, John Manley ended his campaign and is no longer in
the Liberal leadership race.
Learning,
Innovation and Research Speech, Kitsilano High School, Vancouver,
May 29, 2003
Full speech available. Excerpt:
"Let me start with a few words on early childhood development.
I'm not talking about a national babysitting service while parents are
at work. Support for learning must start at the very beginning of life.
That's when the important foundations for social development are established.
Every child in Canada deserves the best shot at success-regardless of
their parents' income. The national approach to childcare and development
that I see will include:
- Affordable, universal access;
- The highest quality and standards across Canada;
- A system that is responsive to the special needs of kids, communities
and parents alike.
Quite simply, I want to ensure that every Canadian child reaches school,
ready to learn and ready to grow-as a matter of right, not privilege."
Speech
to the Canadian Club and Empire Club, February 20, 2003
Full speech available for download in pdf. Excerpt:
"…answering the needs of our cities is not just about investments
in bricks and mortar. It is also about investments in the lives of people
and especially the people who find themselves at the margins of our
communities. It is about our investment in health care. It is about
our action on child poverty. It is about the $1 billion we have invested
in affordable housing. It is about bringing down the barriers for low
income families to take, and to keep, good jobs. So measures such as
support for childcare and a larger child tax benefit, including support
for families of kids who have disabilities are there for those moms
and dads and for their kids."
PAUL MARTIN |
|
"Childcare is important, but childcare
divorced from the capacity of teaching and learning at a very early
age, and divorced from teaching parents how to teach their children
how to learn, really does mean there's a whole generation that's going
to fall behind,"
|
