ADVANCEMENT OF WOMEN HALTON October 29, 2023 To: Chair Senator Ratna Omidvar and members of the Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology soci@sen.parl.gc.ca Re: Bill C-35, Canada Early Learning and Child Care Act Advancement of Women Halton (AWH) has previously written to you – an email dated Oct.16, 2023 – giving our support to Bill C-35. We have been asked by other colleagues to add our support for sections of Bill C-35, especially those dealing with funding and the workforce, in particular the Guiding principles found in Clause and the funding commitments found in Clause 8.

It is appreciated that this legislation commits the government both present and future to maintain funding through provincial and Indigenous agreements that will follow guiding principles to provide "accessible, affordable, inclusive and of high quality" "early learning and child care programs and services" through "public and not for profit child care providers" . Funding: Guiding principles: Guiding principles 7

(1) Federal investments respecting the establishment and maintenance of a Canada -wide early learning and child care system — as well as the efforts to enter into related agreements with the provinces and Indigenous peoples — must be guided by the principles by which early learning and child care programs and services should be accessible, affordable, inclusive and of high quality and must, therefore, aim to • (

a) support the provision of, and facilitate equitable access to, high-quality early learning and child care programs and services — in particular those that are provided by public and not for profit child care providers — that meet standards set by provincial governments or Indigenous governing bodies, that are reflective of other evidence-based best practices in high-quality service provision and that respond to the varying needs of children and families; • (

b) enable families of all income levels , including low incomes, to benefit from affordable early learning and child care programs and services; • (

c) support the provision, including in rural and remote communities, of early learning and child care programs and services that are inclusive of children from systematically marginalized groups, including children with disabilities, and of children from English and French linguistic minority communities, that respect and value the diversity of all children and families and that respond to their varying needs; and • (

d) support the provision of high- quality early learning and child care programs and services that foster the social, emotional, physical and cognitive development of young children, including through the recruitment and retention of a qualified and well- supported earl y childhood education workforce, recognizing that working conditions affect the provision of those programs and services. Funding commitments The Government of Canada commits to maintaining long-term funding for early learning and child care programs and services , including early learning and child care programs and services for Indigenous peoples.

The funding must be provided primarily through agreements with the provincial governments, Indigenous governing bodies and other Indigenous entities that repres ent the interests of an Indigenous group and its members. We do recognize that this could offer stronger support such as for licensed programs and services, and more specific supports for a qualified early childhood education workforce. AWH appreciate and thank you and support your efforts to create universal, quality, inclusive, and publicly-funded child care.

We believe that it is the most effective path to gender equality, economic prosperity, and child development. Anne Douglas Chair, Advancement of Women Halton Chair.awhalton01@gmail.com Teri Shaw, Income Security Advancement of Women Halton (AWH), is a non-partisan coalition of community groups located in the Region of Halton, which seeks to promote the advancement of women by developing and supporting social, political, cultural, and economic strategies to achieve gender equality municipally, regionally, nationally, and internationally.