Thank you, Mr. Chair. There is no question, I think the record is strong and clear on the national and international front that early childhood development is the best possible investment that any government can do, that any nation can do, that any jurisdiction can do, in terms of education, reducing corrections costs, and economic development. The list goes on. Health and reducing health costs, generating local economies. The list goes on and on. Family
integrity, social structures. These are completely well documented, especially when there’s a clear and consistent focus starting with the early years.
The Minister has said he would like a discussion and clear direction with committee, and I think this is an important step in trying to provide that when we talked about, for example, community family resource centres. Community family resource centres have long been a focus, a major focus for Members. We have tried repeatedly to fund these over the years, and we have put money in place and called for them repeatedly, and given the return that has been demonstrated from these sorts of investments, we are nothing less than flabbergasted that the department is not moving aggressively forward on this front. This motion is the dreary and pedantic but totally consistent next and latest attempt to get these key tools in action on early childhood development.
I will be supporting it, and I hope the Minister takes this, once again, as direction. I’m feeling like after all our input, the department is still unilaterally going forward with their own programs, and they’re not totally useless. I think there’s some important work being done on lots of fronts, but we don’t feel there is sufficient and we don’t feel the department has been listening to our call for an early years focus through, for example, child and family resource centres run by community organizations and with support from this government in at least most of our communities. I’ll be supporting the motion.