Mr. Speaker, it is often said it takes a village to raise a child, but what if that village didn't have access to the services and resources necessary for that child? Every community needs the right services for every age and every stage, and it's the responsibility of good governance to maintain the quality and access to those services. $10 a day daycare came in place -- it was announced in 2021 to be fully implemented in 2026. This is great. This ensures our constituents have access to childcare because for too long families have been priced out of these services in the North. These efforts have been welcomed by all, especially me as a parent with young kids. It definitely helps. And we feel the difference immediately. Because accessible, affordable care not only provides endless benefits to young children as they develop but the working parents as well who have more time to participate in the economy and provide for their families.
We need to ensure that the Canada-wide early learning and childcare plan is smoothly rolled out. But unfortunately, I'm hearing from both Range Lake families and their childcare providers that they have entrusted the care of their children to that daycares and day homes are struggling with our current policies, and the consequences are more children are being left behind. That's why parents are asking me why the Department of Education, Culture and Employment has not been adequately funding them so that their needs are met. As a result, the Yellowknife Daycare Association's ability to operate their services effectively is diminishing, Mr. Speaker. Valuable opportunities for children in their care have been limited by forced cuts to essential services like after school snacks, field trips, and other things that families rely on.
Mr. Speaker, without proper funding, YKDA may eventually be unable to continue offering subsidized services to families. As a parent, I can speak for us all when I say we Northerners cannot afford for their withdrawal from the subsidy program. All the work that's accomplished to date would amount to nothing, forcing families to pay full rates, and at the mercy of cost of any increases. We need the Minister to understand this clearly and make real changes. We've had this debate on the floor of the House before. We voted millions more dollars for the department to make this program a success. How much more is it going to take? How do we help these families? I'll have questions for the Minister later today. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member from Range Lake. Members' statements. Member from Yellowknife North.
