Text of the press release:
Seventy-four per cent (74%) of Canadians favour federal child care spending for a national child care program. A new public opinion poll conducted by Vector Research and Development on behalf of the National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) indicates that a federally-paid national child care program is popular across the country. "Results showed that three quarters of Canadians are ready to have Ottawa pay the price for a national child care program," says NUPGE national president James Clancy. "We know this is an accurate reading of the public mood because interviewers asked people whether they favour the program based on a $1 billion a year price tag." A promise to create a new national child care program helped the federal Liberals win re-election last June. The NUPGE-sponsored poll comes as MPs prepare to return for a new session of Parliament in which the minority Liberal government will introduce its first budget. Many people are hoping the budget will include new funding for a national child care program. Interviewers asked respondents whether they were "more likely to favour or more likely to oppose" a child care program knowing that the federal government has promised $1-billion a year for five years to the provinces and territories creating child care spaces that are licenced, regulated and available to all young children. Notwithstanding the cost, more than seven in 10 favoured the program: - More likely to favour 74% - More likely to oppose 16% - Depends 2% - Don't Know 8% Among parents polled, 47% reported finding it difficult to find high quality, affordable child care. Specifically, the poll asked: "Overall, how difficult has it been for you to get high quality, affordable child care?" This was the response: - Extremely difficult 14% - Very difficult 13% - Somewhat difficult 20% - Not too difficult 16% - Not difficult at all 19% - Depends 2% - No need for child care 13% - Don't know 3% "Clearly, almost half of all Canadian parents are having a difficult time finding high quality, affordable child care," says Clancy. "It's no wonder then why a vast majority of Canadians support a national child care program paid for by the federal government. It's time the federal government got its priorities straight. They should announce the new child care funding in the next budget and introduce proper legislation to go along with it. Canadian parents and children deserve no less." METHOD The findings in this poll are based on telephone interviews conducted from December 8 through December 16, 2004 with 1,109 adults throughout the country for Vector Research and Development Inc. The poll is considered accurate within plus or minus 2.9 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.