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In this week's Throne Speech, Prime Minister Stephen Harper made clear his intention to scrap the Liberal program for early childhood development and replace it by providing $100 a month to families for each child under the age of 6.
This would be a terrible mistake, not only for the life chances of Canada's youngest children, but also for the future productivity and social well being of Canada.
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Harper's view is that he is giving Canadians "choice" and besides, he says, he will fund more daycare spaces. But this shows confusion over what early childhood development and parenting centres are all about.
Before he proceeds, Harper should talk to some people who really understand the issue. One such person is James Heckman, a University of Chicago economist and winner of the Nobel Prize in economics.
Heckman's research has led him to become a strong advocate of programs to provide the right early childhood environment for learning, health and behaviour, which set the trajectories for adult life.
Early childhood development, Heckman argues, "is a rare public policy that promotes fairness and social justice and at the same time promotes productivity in the economy and in society at large." This is because it significantly raises the life chances of youngsters while improving the skills, health and behaviour of the adult population.
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Harper should also consider talking to Bank of Canada Governor David Dodge, another strong advocate of early childhood development who is strongly persuaded that investments made in the earliest years of life have the highest payoffs for individuals and society.
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Harper could also talk to Fraser Mustard, Canada's long-time champion of early childhood development and parenting centres. The Ron Mannix family in Calgary, through its Carthy and Norlien Foundations, recently established the Fraser Mustard Chair in Childhood Development at the University of Calgary in recognition of his domestic and international role in early childhood development.
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This is Harper's best chance to show that he can learn on the job, and avoid a serious mistake that could seriously diminish the life chances of many Canadian youngsters &emdash; and impede the future innovative capacity of Canada, a capacity that comes from a highly skilled workforce able to succeed in the knowledge society.
- reprinted from the Toronto Star