A wake-up call for kids

It was hardly good news prior to Christmas festivities to learn that the United Nations children’s agency views our country falling far behind other well-to-do nations when it comes to the care and education of our kids. In fact, we tie for last out of 25 developed nations and, worst of all, the problem is virtually invisible.

Out of those 25 economically advanced countries, we stand at the bottom, tied with Ireland and behind most European countries, the United States, Australia and even Mexico. The study looked at 10 minimum benchmarks, including the provision of one year of parental leave, child-care issues and whether countries spend a minimum of one per cent of GDP on early-childhood services.

Our country has no national plan that gives priority to disadvantaged children. We do not have a national daycare policy. Hanging onto power in Ottawa is a Conservative regime that would have us believe that $100-a-month cheques equal ‘universal daycare.’

UNICEF placed Sweden at the top of the rankings while Iceland, Denmark, Finland, France and Norway all scored eight or more out of 10. The United States met three of the benchmarks. We fulfilled just one.

With about 80 per cent of children in the developed world in some form of early childhood education and care, quality should be a concern. According to the study, cost-benefit analyses of early childhood interventions point out that the returns on early childhood education and care can be as high as $8 for every $1 invested.

Let’s remember that 70 per cent of Canadian children have two working parents and another 10 per cent have a single working parent. Generally, only high-income parents can afford to have one parent at home.

All the experts recommend an early childhood development system that is available, accessible, affordable and optional for everyone. The Hon. Margaret McCain (former New Brunswick Lieutenant-Governor) is one of those promoting an integrated system of community-based early child development and parenting centres linked to schools, libraries and recreational activities. There are successful local models in places like Canning’s Apple Tree Landing.

Fix the problems, stimulate the economy

Hopefully, a look at the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which was adopted by the United Nations in 1990 and signed by Canada, will embarrass our leader enough - if the international attention doesn’t - to get with the program.

Inadequate and costly daycare holds parents back, inhibits the economy and prevents many kids from getting a good foundation to start school with. Surely fixing the problems the UNICEF study pointed out would be excellent economic stimulation.

Another recent study, this time by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), showed similar poor results for this country in a second area linked to child care. It found that poverty and inequality rates in Canada are higher now than for most developed nations. In fact, welfare recipients are worse off these days than they were 20 years ago just before the last big recession.

The report found that, over the past 10 years, only Germany has seen a similar rate of increase. We have five million Canadians who are living below the poverty line. No wonder food bank programs crank up publicity in December.

Social programs, including child care, unemployment insurance and affordable housing, were slashed in the early 1990s when Paul Martin was finance minister. Canada never got them back. When times improved a bit it was decided to lower taxes while government support for the poor diminished.

Meanwhile, incomes for the rich have continued to go up while middle- and low-income workers have suffered a drop in wages. The most affected are young adults and families with children. It has become an endless cycle of less for the kids and less for the unemployed and families.

At this stage we can only hope the opposition parties remember their pre-election promises to push daycare and the alleviation of poverty when talks take place with Stephen Harper about what he will put in his budget to earn their support. That is my wish for the New Year ahead.