Speakers include:
Child care policy expert Dr. Paul Kershaw, and representatives of the Coalition of Child Care Advocates of B.C. and the B.C. Government and Service Employees' Union
Child care is a critical issue for many families. Licensed child care centres throughout B.C. have hundreds of families on long waiting lists because there are not enough spaces for the children who need them. The lack of accessible, affordable spaces hurts families and prevents them from fully participating in the economy.
The BCGEU has joined with the Coalition of Child Care Advocates of B.C. to build support at the community level to create a quality, non-profit, accessible child care system.
The "Child Care – Let's Make It Happen" campaign comes to Maple Ridge for a public forum on Wednesday, May 24. Community forums are also happening this spring in a number of other communities around B.C.
Stephen Harper and the Conservatives have barely been sworn into office and already they're cancelling the signed child care agreements with the provinces – agreements that would finally have begun to address the shortage of spaces.
Our campaign will encourage the provincial and federal governments to maintain the existing funding agreement, and to work together to develop a national child care system.
