SoVote

Context: House Hansard - 203 - May/31/23

Ms. Leah Gazan (Winnipeg Centre, NDP)

May/31/23 6:53:43 p.m.
Watch
Re: Bill C-35

Madam Speaker, it was a pleasure working with the minister on the bill, and with other members of the House trying to improve the bill. One of the concerns I brought forward, and continue to bring forward, is about workers. I was an early childhood educator, as I have indicated in the past. Workers are fighting the same fight. We are not going to have a national child care strategy unless we have a worker strategy. Unions representing child care workers have called for the government to develop a workforce strategy to address staffing shortages in the sector. We know this is something the CCPA commented on: the child care deserts. It is not about creating spaces; it is actually about having people who will work in these spaces. Does the minister agree we need to develop a child care workforce strategy now if we are ever going to achieve a functioning national child care strategy in this country?

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Context: House Hansard - 203 - May/31/23

Ms. Lisa Marie Barron (Nanaimo—Ladysmith, NDP)

May/31/23 7:25:16 p.m.
Watch
Re: Bill C-35

Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for her endless important work in this area. I wonder if my colleague can clarify this. We all know of the dismal pay that child care workers are receiving, despite a lengthy education and working so tirelessly to support our children and future generations. I wonder if the member can share with us today what her thoughts are around what needs to be done to ensure that qualified individuals will be placed in these vital positions for our children as we move forward.

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Context: House Hansard - 203 - May/31/23

Ms. Leah Gazan (Winnipeg Centre, NDP)

May/31/23 11:12:08 p.m.
Watch
Re: Bill C-35

Madam Speaker, I congratulate my hon. colleague on her new family addition. I have been talking a lot about workers. We are talking about a crisis, a child care desert, which came from the CCPA. It was very clear about what this was about. It did not say to privatize day care and put more money into private spaces. It said that we have a worker shortage, and the way to deal with it is to pay fair wages and benefits and ensure that workers have retirement savings. We know that low wages in the child care sector are gendered. We know that 98% of employees are women. I am wondering if my hon. colleague would agree that in order to ensure more spaces, we have to develop a very clear workforce strategy that puts the rights of workers at the centre.

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Context: House Hansard - 203 - May/31/23

Mr. Richard Cannings (South Okanagan—West Kootenay, NDP)

May/31/23 11:45:20 p.m.
Watch
Re: Bill C-35

Madam Speaker, the member mentioned, several times in his speech, the critical shortage of staff as one of the reasons people cannot access child care in Canada. When I talk to child care advocates in my riding and elsewhere, what comes up again and again is that staff need to be properly paid, with decent wages. Many of these staff workers are well-trained early childhood educators, yet they are not paid wages that reflect that and they are not allowed time for professional development. Would the member not say that this is something that should be part of this agreement: that staff must be properly paid in order to retain them and grow the industry?

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