Dear Members, Partners and Friends:

FAFIA is focusing on the status of Canada’s national child care program for International Women’s Day.  

To this end, we are inviting all of our members to sign onto an open letter from a FAFIA partner organization, the Childcare Advocacy Association of Canada (CCAAC). It asks the Prime Minister, other federal party leaders and the provincial premiers to honor the existing childcare agreements between federal and provincial/territorial governments. 

To sign onto the letter, please see http://www.buildchildcare.ca/BE_petition.php/honourthem.  

25 years after Canada ratified the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), women and their families should not have to scramble to find quality childcare in their communities.  In fact, in 2003, the UN Committee which reviews Canada’s performance under this Convention recommended that: 

“[Canada] further expand affordable childcare facilities under all governments and that it report, with nationwide figures, on demand, availability and affordability of childcare in its next report” (to see a complete list of recommendations from the UN, go to http://www.fafia-afai.org/images/CEDAW_UNrecs_to_Canada_2003.pdf”).

Further, during the federal election, all federal party leaders, including Stephen Harper, stated their commitment to FAFIA to “take concrete and immediate measures, as recommended by the United Nations, to ensure that Canada fully upholds its commitments to women in Canada”, particularly those commitments under CEDAW.  To see the letters to FAFIA click here:
Conservative
Bloc
NDP


Child care is Essential to Women’s Equality

Quality child care has been called the “ramp” to women’s equality. Without it, women can’t meet their children’s needs or participate fully in economic, social, political and cultural life.

·         More and more women with children are working (73.4% as of 2001). Among women with children between 3 and 6 years of age, almost 70% are employed.  They need quality child care to study, train for jobs and work with peace of mind. Women working in the home need quality developmental experiences for their children too.  All women want to know their children are in good hands.

·         Only 15% of Canadian children aged six and under have access to publicly funded child-care- compared to 65% in Denmark, 56% in Sweden, 61% in France, and 47% in the United Kingdom. 

·         One in six children in Canada (15.6%) lives in poverty. More than 50% of female lone parents are poor. Access to dependable, affordable child care can help mothers improve the lives of their families. It allows them to train for and find good jobs as well as keep them.

For more information, please go to http://www.childcareadvocacy.ca/resources/pdf/ccaac_womensmarch.pdf

            Canada needs a national childcare program

As you no doubt know by now, Stephen Harper’s government has stated that they will cancel the current childcare agreements (as per their election promise) and replace it with a taxable family allowance of $1200 for each child under six years of age and a tax credit for businesses to create more child care spaces.

According to the CCAAC, the cancellation of the existing agreements will set back the development of a national child care program for years to come, leaving families with young children to fend for themselves.  While income support for families is a valid policy goal, a taxable family allowance and a tax credit for employers will not create early learning and child care services that are high quality, available and affordable. Families need income supports and publicly funded, universally accessible child care services.