Human Resources committee  The two things are different. I guess the best thing I can say is that we do allow people in Canada to have the kids at home even after compulsory schooling starts, but we don't give them the money to do it. I just want to say that I understand that argument. I have never advocated that all women have to be in the paid labour force.

Human Resources committee  I think all the evidence is that the best way to use.... First of all, you need to have quite a lot of public money if you want to have good-quality and accessible early childhood education and child care. There's no doubt about it. So then the question is this: how do you use your public money best to achieve those results?

Human Resources committee  No, I thought I should just stop for a minute, that's all.

Human Resources committee  Okay. Most of the European countries that have universal accessible early childhood education and care programs charge parents a fee, but the fee doesn't support the whole program. In answer to your question, I think all the evidence is that what you call demand-side money doesn't do the trick.

Human Resources committee  Okay. What we know is that these programs do not become widely accessible and have reliably high quality unless governments take the lead role in organizing, financing, and operating them. So keeping in mind the best interests of children and the need that parents have for early childhood programs so they can be employed, I just want to run through a list of policy characteristics that the federal government needs to begin to take leadership on in order to kick-start this program and get it off the ground.

Human Resources committee  Thank you for having me. I sent a written brief, and I thought you would have it, but you don't. You will. Today I'm speaking as the executive director of the Childcare Resource and Research Unit. It and I have been active in the social policy field for about 30 years, and I'm primarily concerned with early childhood education and child care and family policy.