Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The standing committee on legislation has been considering Bill 17, which is the Child Day Care Act. The bill would correct a serious flaw in the scope of the current statute. Presently the director of child day-care programs within the Department of Social Services is able to suspend the licences of day-care operators. However, the wording of the relevant sections of the act makes it difficult for the director to take action that would effectively close down a day-care operation when it became apparent that there was a risk to health, safety or well-being of children who were cared for in the facility.
The standing committee appreciated the attendance of the Minister of Social Services, the Hon. Tony Whitford, at meetings when this bill was reviewed. The Minister and his officials were able to assist the committee greatly by introducing the bill, outlining difficult case situations created by the current legislation and responding to Members' questions.
Bill 17 would amend the Child Day Care Act to allow the director to suspend a licence if she had reasonable grounds to believe that the health, safety or well-being of a child attending a day-care facility was at risk. This would be extremely important, Mr. Chairman, under circumstances in which there was strong evidence to suggest that a youngster was being mistreated. Presently, there is no option for the department to follow. Bill 17 would correct this.
The new legislative procedures adopted by this House last winter allow for amendments to be made in bills at the standing committee stage, with the concurrence of the Minister. This is what happened when the standing committee reviewed Bill 17. During an earlier meeting the committee noted that amendments to the Child Day Care Act would not allow an operator who had lost his licence because of a reasonable-ground suspension to apply for reinstatement. A motion was passed in the standing committee on legislation to amend the reinstatement procedures. The Minister concurred with this amendment, and the bill has been reprinted to reflect this change.
Mr. Minister, I should also report that there was considerable discussion during the standing committee meetings about the overall quality of the Child Day Care Act. The committee expressed particular concern regarding the level of authority accorded to the director of child day-care programs. It was generally felt that some of the authorities presently held by the director might be better placed in the hands of the Minister. The current amendments in Bill 17 will strengthen the director's authority even further. The standing committee was generally concerned about this, but Members had no wish to delay ministerial initiatives aimed at improving the department's capacity to ensure the safety and protection of children. Accordingly, at its meeting on Tuesday, March 31st, the standing committee on legislation voted to refer Bill 17 to committee of the whole.
The standing committee felt that the more general issues about the substance of the existing legislation should still be addressed. For that reason, Mr. Chairman, I wish to propose the following motion:
Motion To Undertake Comprehensive Review Of Child Day Care Act, Carried
I move that this committee recommends that the Minister of Social Services undertake a comprehensive review, including public consultation, of the Child Day Care Act and bring forward amendments at the earliest opportunity,