Description from First Call: BC Child and Youth Advocacy Coalition:
Lynell Anderson, a senior researcher for HELP, calls for a renewed dialogue in Canada about family policy, including parental leave and child care. This article outlines Canada's failure to collect or report the data on what is actually happening to young families struggling to earn and raise children, and how this hampers an informed dialogue about the kind of family policy needed to realize children's rights and better support families in their roles as parents and earners. The article concludes with the New Deal for Families policy proposals Anderson and Dr. Paul Kershaw have put forward that include more time for parents at home with infants, improved quality child care options that are affordable, and flex-time incentives and rules for employers and employees to help parents achieve better work-life balance.