Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, we are still in the cost of living section. I move that Tabled Document 419-18(2), Proposed Mandate of the Government of the Northwest Territories, 2016-2019 (Revised) be amended on page 23 by inserting the words "creating an action plan for a phased-in approach to making childcare more accessible and affordable." Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Ms. Green. There is a motion on the floor and has been distributed. The motion is in order. Ms. Green.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, our original mandate document called on the government to create a plan to provide for universal child care in the Northwest Territories. The intention there was not necessarily to look for the funding to implement universal child care within the life of this Assembly, but to ensure that there was a plan in place in the event that there was money available to implement universal child care. As it turns out, the new federal government does have money to create 40,000 new spaces for child care in Canada over the next ten years. What we need is a plan so that when the bilateral negotiations finish, and this money begins to flow, we have a solid understanding of where we need to improve accessibility and affordability of child care by creating this plan. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Ms. Green. Mr. O'Reilly.
Thanks, Mr. Chair. Earlier in general comments, I neglected to say that I actually support most of the changes that are going to come forward. This is one, though, that I think the public deserves to know more about. This is a fundamental change in the document, in the mandate, that was tailored by Cabinet about what we are going to do about child care. The original mandate document reads "implementing universal and affordable child care." The version that has been tabled by Cabinet reads "making child care available and affordable." The words "universal" have been taken out. All along, I have objected to this change, and certainly back in December of 2015, when we were collectively putting forward our own individual priorities, I said that children, and more specifically child care, was one of the three priorities that I felt that we should be working together on.
Where that arose from was the work of the 17th Assembly. In December of 2013, there was a motion that was passed unanimously in the House that called for a feasibility study to be done on child care. That work was done by the University of Toronto. It was a well-researched document, and it said that if we were to implement universal child care here in the Northwest Territories along the lines of a Quebec model, it would cost us $20 million a year. There are additional benefits as well that would result in increased GDP of $16 million or more, increased labour income in excess of $15 million. It would create about 200 new jobs, increase female participation in the work force, increase tax revenue, and decrease social assistance. That's the kind of benefits we could get with universal child care. We are moving away from that, and I think the public deserves to know this, and we should be transparent and open about it.
I will support the motion that is here because at least we will end up with an action plan. It is not clear to me, though, how we would actually ever measure something like making child care more accessible and affordable. What does that really mean? I guess I have been on record saying, I believe this is a broken promise on the part of our government, something that I do not support, a moving away from universal child care. I would like to know from my Cabinet colleagues, why they are backing away from this commitment for universal child care? Is it too expensive? Are there other commitments that are a higher priority? I would like to start with that, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. O'Reilly. To the motion. Mr. Testart.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I would like to ask for a recorded vote. Thank you.
Recorded vote
Thank you, Mr. Testart. To the motion.
Question.
Question has been called. A recorded vote has been requested. All those in favour, please stand.
Ms. Green, Mr. Nadli, Mr. Nakimayak, Mr. Moses, Ms. Cochrane, Mr. Abernethy, Mr. McLeod - Yellowknife South, Mr. McLeod - Inuvik Twin Lakes, Mr. Schumann, Mr. Sebert, Mr. Blake, Mr. McNeely, Mr. Vanthuyne, Mr. Testart, Mr. Beaulieu, Mr. Thompson, and Mr. O'Reilly.
All those opposed, please stand. All those abstaining, please stand. The results of the recorded vote: 17 in favour, zero opposed, zero abstentions. The motion is carried.
---Carried
Ms. Green.
