At General Council 38, delegates voted to call for governmental action to ensure the health, security, and well-being of Canada’s children.
As a next step in that action, we now need to support the long overdue transformation of the current “patchwork” of day care centers into a national childcare and early learning system that meets the needs of all Canadian children.
Minister of the Social Development Ken Dryden will meet with provincial ministers responsible for childcare on February 11 and 12 in Vancouver to discuss the framework and content of a new national childcare program.
Please ACT NOW to urge our provincial, territorial and federal leaders to include the following in any agreement on a childcare program :
- provincial accountability to the “QUAD” principals of Quality, Universality, Accessibility and Development
- an increase in annual childcare funding to provinces and territories by $6 billion by 2008
- a requirement that all early childhood educators are trained and monitored professionals
- all services are regulated and monitored
- ensure full inclusion of children with disabilities
- commit to a model of public funding (rather than subsidized user fees) and not-for-profit delivery
- dedicated child care transfer to ensure full funding transparency and accountability.
Please write Minister Dryden and your provincial Minister of Social Development before February 10. A sample letter is available for your use, and addresses are included below for your convenience.
THANK YOU!
Hon. Ken Dryden
Minister of Social Development
House of Commons
Parliament Buildings
Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0A6
Provincial/Territorial ministers responsible for child care
Newfoundland and Labrador
Hon. John Ottenheimer
Minister of Health and Community Services
Confederation Building
PO Box 8700
St. John's, NL
A1B 4J6
Prince Edward Island
Hon. Chester Gillan
Minister of Health and Social Services
Jones Building 2nd floor
PO Box 2000
11 Kent St.
Charlottetown, PEI
C1A 7N8
Nova Scotia
Hon. David Morse
Minister of Community Services
8994 Commercial St.
New Minas, NS
B4N 3E2
New Brunswick
Hon. Tony Huntjens
Minister of Family and Community Services
Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick
Sartain MacDonald Building
P. O. Box 6000
Fredericton, NB
E3B 5H1
Quebec
Claude Béchard
Ministère de l'Emploi, de la Solidarité sociale et de la Famille
425 rue Ste-Amable
4ieme étage
Quebec, QC
G1R 4Z1
Ontario
Hon. Marie Bountrogianni
Minister of Children and Youth Services
56 Wellesley Street West, 14th Floor
Toronto, ON
M5S 2S3
Manitoba
Hon. Christine Melnick
Minister of Family Services and Housing
450 Broadway
Winnipeg, MB
R3C 0V8
Saskatchewan
Hon. Joanne Crofford
Minister of Community Resources and Employment
Room 348
Legislative Building
Regina, SK
S4S 0B3
Alberta
Hon. Heather Forsyth
Minister of Children’s Services
Legislature Building
10800 – 97 Avenue
Edmonton, AB
T5K 2B6
BC
Hon. Stan Hagen
Minister of Children and Family Development
PO BOX 9057
STN PROV GOVT.
Victoria, BC
V8W 9E2
Yukon
Hon. Peter Jenkins
Minister of Health and Social Services
2071 2nd Avenue
PO Box 2703
Whitehorse, YK
Y1A 2C6
NWT
Hon. J. Michael Miltenberger
Minister of Health and Social Services
P.O. Box 1320
Yellowknife, NT
X1A 2L9
Nunavut
Minister of Health and Social Services
Hon. Levinia Brown
Legislative Assembly of Nunavut
Box 1200
Iqaluit, NU
X0A 0H0
