NUPGE: National child care system needed more than ever

Ottawa (30 July 2020) — The impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on families has added a new urgency to the need for a national child care system said Larry Brown, President of the National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE). In a letter to Ahmed Hussen, the federal Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, NUPGE called on the federal government to build on the support it has already provided for child care during the pandemic.

“Now is the time for a universally accessible, publicly funded, not-for-profit, and high quality child care system that fairly compensates workers in a unionized workforce,” said Brown.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic started, it has been a struggle for many parents to find child care. Parents have had to juggle work, child care and home schooling.

Disproportionately, it has been women who have had to make sacrifices. Women’s labour force participation has dramatically declined. Women are effectively being forced out of the workforce and this will have a long-term impact on gender equity.

Quality child care plays an important role in children’s development. This is particularly true for children requiring additional support who have been particularly hard hit by the lack of child care during the pandemic.

The taxation powers of the federal government mean that it has the ability to raise far more revenue than provincial or territorial governments. For that reason, like health care, post-secondary education and social services, federal funding is required if a universal child care program is to become reality.

The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is one of Canada's largest labour organizations with over 390,000 members -- including teh 20,000 members of HSA in Britiah Columbia. NUPGE's mission is to improve the lives of working families and to build a stronger Canada by ensuring our common wealth is used for the common good.