Vancouver City Council

NOTICE OF MOTION

At the Regular Council meeting held July 20, 2004, the following Motion was submitted by Councillor Roberts. Councillor Ladner called Notice under Section 5.4 (c) of the Procedure By-law. The Motion was placed on the Agenda for the next Regular Council meeting to be held July 22, 2004, immediately following the Standing Committee on City Services and Budgets meeting.

Notice of Motion: Keep the Child Care Promise

MOVER: Councillor Roberts
SECONDER:

Whereas Prime Minister Paul Martin promised in the federal election campaign to implement a national child care strategy based on the Foundations program that is to enshrine four key principles in legislation -- Quality, Universality, Accessibility and Developmental Programming;

Whereas the prime minister promised to spend $5 billion more over the next five years to create 250,000 new high-quality, government-regulated child care spaces at an affordable cost to parents;

Whereas New Democratic Party leader Jack Layton promised in the federal election campaign to spend $5.25 billion over the next four years and to work with the provinces and territories to create an additional 200,000 high-quality, publicly funded, affordable child cares spaces;

Whereas the B.C. government cut $27.6 million from last year's child care budget, reduced last year's child care subsidies budget by $23 million, and used federal funding in previous years to replace -- not supplement -- its child care spending;

Whereas the City of Vancouver is experiencing a crisis in child care caused by the provincial cutbacks with families most in need unable to afford child care and child care centres at risk of closing because of reduce enrolments;

Whereas, the City of Vancouver has for the past two years provided subsidies to protect 600 child care spaces for those families most in need even though child care funding is a provincial and federal responsibility;

Therefore, Be It Resolved, that the City of Vancouver call on Prime Minister Paul Martin and NDP leader Jack Layton to keep their child care promises and to immediately pass the Foundations legislation and to begin increased child care funding within the 2004-2005 budget;

Further, Be It Resolved, that the City of Vancouver urge Mr. Martin and Mr. Layton to ensure that the provinces and the territories use federal child care dollars to supplement, not replace, provincial and territorial spending on child care;

Further, Be It Resolved, that this motion be sent to the municipalities of the GVRD as well as the Federation of Canadian Municipalities urging them to adopt similar motions in support of quality, regulated and affordable child care for all our children;

And Finally, Be It Resolved, that the City of Vancouver urge all residents to contact their federal representative and the leaders of the Liberal Party and the NDP urging them to Keep the Child Care Promise.