A Canada-wide campaign to protect child care The federal election is over. As a result, child care is at risk as never before. After 30 years of hard work, the foundation of Canada’s newest social program is on the chopping block, with cuts of almost $4 billion on the line. Families, communities, providers, and advocates will not stand by and watch this happen.

Join CODE BLUE FOR CHILD CARE and make your voice heard.

DISCUSSION PAPER Child Care Q & A FACT SHEET
ANALYSIS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

What is CODE BLUE FOR CHILD CARE?

CODE BLUE FOR CHILD CARE is a Canada wide campaign to protect the progress we’ve made on child care. Code Blue brings together national, provincial/territorial child care organizations; labour, women’s and social justice groups; and Canadians from all walks of life. Code Blue will speak for the 64% of Canadians who voted for a child care system to meet the needs of Canada’s children, families and communities.

CODE BLUE FOR CHILD CARE will work with provincial/territorial governments; with Parliamentarians in all regions; with local governments; with coalition partners, with families and with the child care community to save the fledgling child care system.

What does CODE BLUE FOR CHILD CARE stand for?
1. Saving existing federal-provincial agreements on child care:

• Last year, the federal government negotiated agreements on early learning and child care with all 10 provinces.
• Through these agreements, the federal government agreed to transfer almost $5 billion over 5 years (2004/05 – 2009/10) to provinces and territories.
• Provinces agreed to use these funds to begin building child care systems. The new federal government plans to cancel these agreements early in 2007.
• $3.6 billion earmarked for child care will be lost.
• CODE BLUE’s immediate priority is to save these agreements!

2. Building on the Foundation:

• The federal-provincial agreements laid the foundation for a child care system.
• We still need legislation and adequate federal funding to build universal access, provincial action plans and a commitment to community-based, not-for-profit early learning and child care.
• CODE BLUE will press all levels of government to build the system that Canada's children and families deserve and need!

3. Supporting families: Child care AND income supports:

• The federal government plans to replace federal-provincial child care agreements with a taxable family allowance of $1,200 annually for each child under six.
• The federal government says this is a ‘child care program’ that supports family choice.
• We say that income support for families is a valid policy goal but it is NOT a substitute for public investment in high quality early learning and child care programs.
• Less than $100 a month, after taxes, comes nowhere close to covering the cost of quality child care, and tax credits for employers will not create affordable, sustainable and equitable child care programs.
• A comprehensive family policy must address families’ income needs AND support expansion and operation of early learning and child care.
• CODE BLUE supports both!

What can YOU do?

• sign our Open Letter(s) to the: Prime Minister and Federal opposition leaders (english) (en français), and the Premiers and Prime Minister jointly (english) (en français)
• share this letter widely.
• call on your newly elected federal representative to maintain the child care agreements.
• call on your provincial/territorial government to defend the child care agreements and live up to their own child care commitments.
• get supportive organizations to feature the campaign and Open Letter in their newsletters and websites.
• contact your provincial/territorial child care groups for information on local activities and events
• stay tuned to the our website and the Child Care Advocacy Association of Canada website for actions, news and information over the next few months.

For more information about this dynamic organization or to be part of it, call 403-329-0088 and ask for the CEO.