national child care system

The COVID-19 pandemic has spurred critical and much needed attention to childcare services as well as to wider sets of policies that address people’s paid work and unpaid care work. This panel explores three intra-connected critical pillars of Canada’s (federal, provincial, territorial) social policy architectures; childcare services, parental leave, and employment policies. The panel examines these in the context of COVID-19 and its long-term impacts on the lives of families and parents. They draw on research and analysis, including work-in-progress, that has been taken on, partly or wholly in response to the pandemic. They also highlight key issues that need to be considered in research, advocacy and policy development as we look ahead to the policy supports that families will need in order to live equitable, flourishing, and sustainable lives.

Chair

• Andrea Doucet, Brock University

Panelists

Access event recording [Video 01:35:35]

Join First Policy Response for a discussion on a Canada-wide childcare plan

About this event

Delivering the federal government’s budget childcare promise requires moving quickly from affirming the need for a national system to designing and then implementing one with provinces, municipalities and partners. A number of barriers — including “navigating pandemic federalism,” in the words of First Policy Response contributors Kate Bezanson, Monica Lysack and Andrew Bevan — stand in the way of a national childcare plan. How can we move from identifying the problem to designing and delivering a childcare solution? What are the key elements that will need to be part of a plan that delivers affordable, high-quality services across the country?

Join First Policy Response and the Toronto Star for this timely discussion, Delivering on the Commitment: A Canada-Wide Childcare Plan, on Thursday, May 20 from 10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. EST.

The discussion will be moderated by Heather Scoffield, Ottawa Bureau Chief and Economics Columnist for the Toronto Star. We will also be joined by:

Featured Guest: The Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Families, Children, and Social Development

Panelists:

• Ken Boessenkool,  J.W. McConnell Professor of Practice, Max Bell School of Public Policy, McGill University
• Beverly-Jean Daniel, Assistant Professor, School of Child and Youth Care, Ryerson University
• Dr. Kate Bezanson, Associate Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences, Brock University
• Diane Daley, CEO, Family Day Care Services

The event will begin with a feature interview with Minister Hussen in conversation with Heather Scoffield, followed by a moderated panel discussion.

There will also be an opportunity for breakout sessions and community gathering with academics, policy specialists, early childhood educators, ECE faculty, and officials from municipal, provincial and federal governments.

This event is generously supported by the Lawson Foundation. To learn more about their work, visit lawson.ca.

REGISTER for the event HERE.