Over the past decade, children and families have become a key focus of public policy in Canada, and Ottawa and the provinces have actively sought to improve the well-being of Canadian children. In March 2003, the signing of the Multilateral Framework on Early Learning and Child Care and the ensuing bilateral agreements between Ottawa and the provinces over 2005 set the stage for what many hoped would be a fully fledged national daycare network.
With the recent election of a minority Conservative government in Ottawa, and the announcement by the new prime minister that he will cancel these intergovernmental agreements and fund families directly to help them pay for daycare services, Canada's family policy seems to be moving in a new
direction.
The roundtable entitled ''Early childhood development and childcare: What do we know?'' will examine the latest research on early childhood development and child care and attempt to sort out the policy implications. Among other topics, speakers will address the quality of care, the policy lessons to
be learned from Quebec and elsewhere, the current either/or debate about funding supply or demand and the place of child care in Canada's broader benefits package for families.
This forum is a unique opportunity to participate in an open discussion about daycare and early childhood development in Canada.
