EXCERPTS
The directive couldn’t have been clearer. Two years ago Premier Kathleen Wynne ordered Labour Minister Kevin Flynn and Women’s Issues Minister Tracy MacCharles to work together to “develop a wage gap strategy that will close the gap between men and women.” There were no ifs, ands, or buts. The premier seemed to mean business.
Now a committee the two ministers struck last fall to find ways to close the 29-per-cent gulf between men’s and women’s pay in Ontario has reported.
Its No. 1 recommendation? Ontario must commit to an affordable and publicly funded geared-to-income child-care program if it hopes to make a dent in the pay gap.
That’s a tall order for a provincial government facing a $4.3-billion deficit — especially given that Ottawa's plans to invest in child-care remain unclear. But it’s something Wynne should pursue anyway for several important reasons.
First is the task force’s clear and compelling conclusion that out of all the steps necessary to close the wage gap, providing licenced child-care spaces is the one that would have the biggest impact. Women who don’t have access to affordable day care take on more of the unpaid child care than men and have less time for paid work, the task force found.
Second, getting women out into the work force is important not just for women. The whole province benefits. The task force found that every dollar invested in child care adds $2.47 to the Ontario economy. Indeed, a Royal Bank study estimated personal incomes would be $168 billion higher each year in Canada if women had the same labour market opportunities as men.
Third, early childhood education pays off for kids — and reduces spending on social programs down the road. A 2014 report by the Atkinson Centre for Society and Child Development says it reduces inequalities that result from poverty and decreases the number of children in special education classes by identifying problems and intervening early.
And a 2014 study from the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada argued that not having an early childhood education program in place actually put the health and well-being of children at risk. More than a quarter of Canadian children currently start kindergarten vulnerable in at least one area of development, the college says. That’s something that could affect them for the rest of their lives.
Nor would Wynne be going out on a limb if she were to invest more in a province-wide child care program. Quebec, for example, invests 1.2 per cent of its gross domestic product on early childhood education, while Ontario only spends 0.6 per cent. (The task force report recommends Ontario commit to 1 per cent.)
Wynne has proven she is not afraid to take on big projects. Consider her vow to create an Ontario pension plan from scratch when the Harper government wouldn’t commit to boosting the federal pension plan. That gambit pressured the Trudeau government to step in where its predecessor would not. An Ontario child-care initiative could have the same effect.
Wynne has already given encouraging signs that she is committed to increasing the availability of early childhood education. Last week she created a new child-care cabinet portfolio, and appointed Indira Naidoo-Harris to the post. “Access to high-quality, affordable child care is essential to Ontario families,” Wynne said then.
She's right. As the Star has argued before, no single move by governments would make such a big difference in the lives of women and families as a comprehensive plan to provide quality, affordable child care. Wynne should redouble her bold commitment to close the wage gap by following her committee's top recommendation this fall.
-reprinted from Toronto Star