Dominic LeBlanc, president of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada and Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs. (Photo: Zoom screengrab)
A virtual roundtable on early learning and child care wants New Brunswick to sign onto the federal government’s offer to bring the average cost of regulated childcare down to an average of $10 a day.
When the federal budget was tabled, one of the proposals was that Ottawa will commit $27.2 billion over five years as long as the provinces contribute the same amount.
Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc said he wants to know how the government can get it right in the province of New Brunswick.
LeBlanc said they decided to invest more than $30 billion as early as 2022 to work with provinces and providers.
“The provincial government cannot afford not to participate in this investment because it’s not only in the social development area of the provincial and federal governments responsibility, this will grow the New Brunswick economy,” said LeBlanc.
He said this will increase the number of parents who can participate in the workforce because their children will receive these services
LeBlanc said they’re starting at a 50/50 sharing formula because provinces already spend money on early learning and childcare.
He said there’s an encouraging amount of discussion with Education Minister Dominic Cardy to get the model right in the province which will benefit the families and the economy.
Dr. Erin Schryer, President and CEO of Origins Natural Learning Childcare and The Woods. (Photo: Zoom screengrab)
Dr. Erin Schryer, president and CEO of Origins Natural Learning Childcare and The Woods, said it’s exciting to see the investments into the sector.
“We are here, we are eager to be very active participants in the formation of these agreements,” Schryer said.
“We believe that the government has rightly focused on the critical need to invest in our sector. They have already highlighted the need to invest in early childhood educators and we all agree the COVID-19 pandemic certainly highlighted our sector, the essential nature of our work, the essential nature of the work of early childhood educator and it also highlighted the fact that our sector is in a precarious situation and that we need investment.”
Schryer said they are excited to build a system of quality and accessible care, adding while there is a discussion that could happen about the cost of this investment for the province, there is also the cost of not investing in early childcare and learning.
“Early learning and child care is very much a form of early intervention in a way and so we know the return of investment is huge. I think the government of Canada has already put out estimates on the fact that it will pay for itself
Schryer said she doesn’t believe that New Brunswick won’t participate in the program.
LeBlanc said the agreement with New Brunswick should hit the policy objective of high-quality and accessible early learning and childcare at an affordable cost and finishing up at an average of $10 a day per child. He did not say how or if the system for New Brunswick would differ from across the country, but did say it would depend on working with the sector.
“It’s about using the federal investment to ensure that the specificities of New Brunswick are not lost in a cookie-cutter model,” he said.
LeBlanc noted that the vast majority of high-quality early learning and childcare spaces are run by private sector entrepreneurs and we need to expand.
Specific needs for New Brunswick may require an advisory council nationally and provincially. Also, a look at transparency and accountability of money forwarded by the federal government.
LeBlanc said the money will be available to provinces as soon as they sign up. He said he would be happy to meet with the premier as early as next week, adding the urgency is because of the difficulties for families right now due to COVID-19.
He said he doesn’t foresee any insurmountable difficulties in making this happen as long as they work with the sector in a way that’s in the best interest of their clients and parents.
