Excerpts from the report:
As it conducts 2006 pre-budget consultations with a clear focus on Canada's place in a competitive world, we offer the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance the following points and recommendations:
1. Quality child care services support children, families, communities and the economy, and will improve Canada's competitive stance with peer nations.
2. BUT, the benefits from child care will only be realized through a focused public investment strategy that ensures families' access to quality services.
3. To build the child care system that Canadians want and need, the CCAAC therefore calls on the federal government to restore and increase sustained, long-term federal funding to the provinces and territories. Federal transfers must be specifically dedicated to improving and expanding child care services, based on provincial and territorial plans to advance quality, inclusion and affordability.