Ontario

Panel Friday AM: Canada's Inequality Problem: What's the Fix?

Martha Friendly (CRRU), Miles Corak (U of Ottawa), Craig Alexander (TD Bank), Steven Kakfwi (NWT)

https://www.broadbentinstitute.ca/summit2015

What is the Role of Early Childhood Education and Care in An Equality Agenda?

Gordon Cleveland, will speak at the Inaugural SD Clark Symposium on the Future of Canadian Society on April 10th, 2015 at East Common Room, Hart House, University of Toronto. In his lectur he wll discuss early childhood education and care affects children's development, mothers' employment and family incomes. Therefore, early childhood education and care policy has the potential to be a powerful force reducing gender discrimination and child and family inequality. Although, over time, there has been some reduction in the gender wage gap and employment gap, there is little evidence that inequality in child outcomes or family incomes is narrowing. This talk will ask whether early childhood education is fulfilling its promise to promote gender, child and family equality. It will discuss how early childhood care and education can best contribute to an equality-enhancing social agenda.

• Poster in pdf

"Child care shouldn't be just a matter of luck"

Martha Friendly, will deliver the 24th annual Margaret Laurence Lecture, a free public event, at Bagnani Hall, Traill College, Trent University (300 London St.) on Tuesday, March 10 at 7:30 p.m. In her lecture, "Child care shouldn't be just a matter of luck", Ms. Friendly questions what public policy changes are needed to ensure that finding affordable, quality child care shifts from luck to entitlement. She argues child care began as a charitable welfare service but as more and more mothers have entered the workforce, it has become a commodity in a market that fails to deliver high quality affordable services. However, Ms. Friendly insists that Canada has the advantage of reflection to shape both a vision of the kind of child care system that is possible, and an analysis of the public policy needed to achieve the vision.

• Poster in pdf
• Press release in pdf