Thank you, Mr. Speaker. A year ago we adopted a motion calling for the GNWT to investigate the practicality of introducing a universal, affordable child daycare system run by people trained in early childhood development, building on successes in Quebec and Scandinavia. This Thursday, parents in Yellowknife will have an opportunity to participate in the government’s feasibility study on universal affordable child care. This is an important opportunity. I hope it is one available throughout the NWT, and I hope it has been well publicized.

Universal child care has provided incredible benefits in jurisdictions where it’s been adopted, including improved early childhood development, decreased child poverty, increased numbers of women in the workforce and a better quality labour force with the added and unexpected result that it paid for itself through revenue and savings.

As a jurisdiction, we have dabbled in child care support, though some might say we have dithered. While ECE provides a daycare subsidy, a recent year estimate was that only about 40 parents met the qualifications to receive it and only a few were added after purported improvements.

There is also the question of facilities outside of the major centres. They are virtually non-existent and often woefully inadequate in the places where they do exist. To my mind, we need a comprehensive, focused and accessible program if we are to meet the needs of parents and children in the NWT. Such a program must reflect best practices recommended by early childhood development research to date.

It appears that ECE has been trying to meet both daycare and JK Program needs through universal JK. An unintended consequence is that Junior Kindergarten is rendering other early childhood programs, including child care services which are becoming less feasible with declining enrolments. We need to recognize that child care services, especially for the early years, have a priority role in providing critical support to parents in ways that will give big returns on early childhood development and the ability of parents, especially women, to take part in the workforce. It can mesh well with quality JK.

Localized child care services should be regulated and supported to ensure qualified early care personnel and developmentally appropriate play- based approaches that support early childhood development. JK would then become part of the continuum to complement community child care services.

I appreciate the department’s move to consult with parents.

I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

---Unanimous consent granted