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Star columnist Carol Goar uses the homegrown illustration of Canada/Quebec family policy to validate research showing that accessible child care and generous parental leave spur population growth.
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It's like shooting fish in a barrel to point out Canada's weak support for families outside Quebec - the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and UNICEF have already done that. The real questions are (1) how to design the right remedies for Canada's regrettable family policy, and, (2) who among political leaders will step up to the plate?
Goar's article didn't mention either Dalton McGuinty's election promise to bring in a universal full-day early learning program or the Pascal report offering a solid plan for implementing it. Putting this in place will provide the early childhood education and child care that Ontario children and families need - and make available a workable model for the rest of Canada. The answer to the question about visionary political leadership on behalf of families among both provincial and federal leaders still remains to be seen. Women are waiting for, as Goar observes, Canada to become a family-friendly country.
Martha Friendly, Executive Director
Childcare Resource and Research Unit
- reprinted from the Toronto Star