FEWO Committee Report

Report on Women’s Economic Empowerment: Conservative Dissenting Report

This Supplemental Report reflects the views of the Conservative Members of Parliament who serve on the Standing Committee on the Status of Women (“FEWO”): MP Michelle Ferreri (Peterborough–Kawartha), MP Anna Roberts (King–Vaughan), and MP Dominique Vien (Bellechasse–Les Etchemins–Lévis).

Introduction

As referenced in the report, the study examined women’s economic empowerment with a focus on gender gaps, participation, and retention of women in the labour sector, access to financing, mentorship, training, and empowering businesses owned and operated by women.

The Conservative members of this committee supported and actively participated in the pursuit of this study given its critical importance to ensure that the Government of Canada properly acknowledge and act upon barriers to women’s economic empowerment. The Conservative interest in this study also stemmed from a need to review the Government of Canada’s rollout of its Canada Wide Early Learning and Childcare System to ensure it is upholding the economic prosperity of women across Canada.

In 2021, when the Government of Canada rolled out its national Early Learning and Childcare program, one of the fundamental pillars it presented was making it easier for women to return to the labour force. However, the reality is quite the contrary, “women entrepreneurs are being targeted for extinction”[1], childcare operators are closing down, parents lack choice and face long waitlists, and women’s participation in the labour force is on the decline.

Observations

While we appreciate the work of the committee in the pursuit of this study, this report fails to address many of the shortcomings faced by women entrepreneurs in the rollout of the Canada Wide Early Learning & Child Care System as expressed by witnesses at the committee.

No Private Representation

With regard to the Canada Wide Early Learning & Child Care agreements, while Conservatives are receptive to developing Canada’s childcare sector, we are dismayed that the failures of the rollout of these agreements are not fully understood nor adequately reflected in this report.

While the report acknowledges that there is a lack of access to adequate and affordable childcare and that it must meet the needs of women and their families across Canada, it fails to acknowledge the exclusion of private childcare operators from the Canada Wide Early Learning and Child Care agreements signed with the provinces and territories.

This was echoed in witness testimony during the committee’s study of Women’s Economic Empowerment. Specifically, Andrea Hannen, Executive Director of the Association of Day Care Operators of Ontario when she stated, “the question many of Canada’s child care entrepreneurs are asking is whether they have a place in Canada’s child care program or a future in child care at all.”[2] Furthermore, Rosemary Cooper, Executive Director of Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada, stated, “we’re still very dependent and reliant on home day care providers to ensure that Inuit women are participating in the workforce”.[3]

The guiding principle of Bill C-35, An Act respecting early learning and child care in Canada centres on favouring access to public and not for profit over any other type of childcare. Quality childcare comes in all shapes and sizes, and the Federal government should not dictate what childcare is best for families.

The absence of this from the report is incredibly concerning given that, “a majority of private childcare entrepreneurs are women.”[4] The thought that a committee study on Women’s Economic Empowerment would exclude direct evidence of barriers is detrimental to the integrity of the study.

Women Entrepreneurs Being Targeted for Extinction

Women entrepreneurs in Canada are at risk of disappearing and going extinct, due to federal policies implemented in recent years.

In her testimony, Andrea Hannen, the Executive Director of the Association of Day Care Operators of Ontario stated, “Canada’s childcare entrepreneurs are asking whether they have a place in Canada’s national childcare program or in the future of childcare at all”[5].  

With more than 95% of childcare workers being women[6], and the majority of daycare centers being owned by women[7], the childcare entrepreneurs being negatively affected are largely women.

Only 17% of small and medium-sized businesses in Canada being owned by female entrepreneurs as is[8]. The last thing Canadian women entrepreneurs need is to be squeezed out of one of their only dominated sectors. This sentiment has been emulated in recent witness testimony by Andrea Hannen when she was quoted saying “It’s to the detriment of all women that child care entrepreneurs are being targeted for extinction through the nationalization of Canada’s child care sector.”[9].  

The committee’s report glosses over the assertive and powerful language used by witnesses of the committee including Ms. Hannen and does not acknowledge the fact that women entrepreneurs are being targeted for extinction. Childcare is no longer a field in which women entrepreneurs can excel and thrive. Because of this government’s policy, they are instead being pushed out of a field to which they have previously participated in for decades.

The Canada Wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreements fail to take into account how these women-owned and operated businesses will be affected, let alone take measures to mitigate the negative effects they face as a direct result of its rollout.

Conservative members of the committee recognize the crucial role that Canada’s women child care entrepreneurs play in facilitating affordable and accessible child care for all. The Canada Wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreements directly target their businesses and is therefore detrimental to women’s economic empowerment.

Childcare Providers are Closing Down

Conservative committee members acknowledge that the Canada Wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreements not only have an impact on private childcare operators but also all childcare operators including not-for-profit and public.

Throughout the committee’s study, members of the committee heard from witnesses that expressed their concerns that the goal of $10 a day childcare for all Canadian families would take longer than the deadline of 2026, if this goal was even met at all. Despite this, the committee’s report fails to recognize that child care operators are at risk of or are closing down as a result of the rollout of Canada’s childcare program.

In her testimony, Medora Uppal, Chief Executive Officer, YWCA Hamilton, stated, “we’re already starting to see non-profit child care providers looking at closing down, not stepping up to open additional spaces, or shutting down their infant care programs, which are so critical within the child care sector, because they can’t afford to operate. They can’t hire people and they can’t pay the bills.”[10] Not for profit and public child care providers that are able to access funding are on a fixed budget and cannot afford to hire more staff or in some cases be able to stay open.

Conservative members of the committee recognize that in order to alleviate some of the burden placed on not for profit and public child care providers, private child care operators must be included. By including private child care operators, not only do women entrepreneurs benefit, but all childcare operators and families will too through more accessibility.

Labour Force Participation of Women Not Rising

One of the pillars of implementing the Canada Wide Early Learning and Childcare Agreements was to assist women in joining the workforce. Unfortunately, this has come far from reaching fruition much to the detriment of women’s economic empowerment.

In April 2015, labour force participation amongst working age women was 66.2 %[11]. In 2024, after the implementation of the Government of Canada’s national child care program, the participation rate for women in the workforce has declined. In April 2024, labour force participation amongst working age women was 65.4%[12].

The Canada Wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreements failed to meet the goal of having an impact in women’s participation in the workforce. Not only has women’s participation not increased, but it has actually decreased by .8%.

Conservative members of the committee recognize that women’s labour force participation amongst working age women is on the decline and has in fact not increased as alluded to in the committee’s report. The Canada Wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreements have continuously failed for years to advance women’s economic empowerment.

No Flexibility

Through the rollout of the nationalization of Canada’s childcare program, the Government of Canada signed individual agreements with each province and territory across Canada. When these agreements were signed there were ideological shackles put on both the provinces and territories with no room for flexibility to amend the agreements.

Given the above-mentioned concerns that directly impact women’s economic empowerment, Conservative members of the committee are alarmed at the inability for the Government of Canada to work with the provinces and territories to improve women’s economic empowerment through the Canada Wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreements.

In some provinces, private operators represent a significant portion of the childcare sector resulting in disproportionate consequences. In Nova Scotia, private operators make up 55% of the province’s childcare sector.[13] However, when the provincial government approached the federal government to express their concerns they were rejected by the Government of Canada.[14]

Although the committee report highlights a few of the concerns raised by witnesses on the Early Learning and Child Care plan, it falls short of putting any responsibility on the Government of Canada to work with the provinces, territories, and childcare providers to provide better flexibility. Specifically, as it pertains to improving the collaboration with women entrepreneurs and ensuring that more women are able to re-enter the workforce.

In her testimony to the committee, Bonnie Brayton, Chief Executive Officer of the DisAbled Women’s Network of Canada elaborated upon this when she stated, “there has been no focus on ensuring that this is an opportunity to rethink child care,”[15] citing that it does not work for all women including, those who need family care, 24-hour care and the women who do not work nine to five.[16]

Conservative members of the committee believe the committee report’s neglect to acknowledge the Government of Canada’s role in ensuring they work with the provinces and territories to enhance flexibility within these Canada Wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreements provides a significant barrier in adequately addressing the shortfalls of this program.

No Choice for Parents

Conservative members of the committee recognize that Canadian families should have access to affordable and quality childcare and should be able to choose childcare providers that best suit their family’s needs.

The committee’s report correctly points out that many witnesses stated that a significant barrier to women’s economic empowerment is a lack of access to adequate and affordable child care. However, it does not address the fact that the current framework of the Canada Wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreements is not adequate to increase the choice that is offered to parents and families in need of childcare.

In her testimony, Andrea Hannen, Executive Director of the Association of Day Care Operators of Ontario stated, “the question many of Canada’s child care entrepreneurs are asking is whether they have a place in Canada’s national child care program or a future at all,”[17] there is a whole section of Canada’s childcare sector that is wanting to help alleviate the challenges of finding affordable and accessible childcare. However, due to the ideological stance of the government , they are restricted from being able to participate in doing so.

Caitlin Morrison, Director of Operations and Communications for the Prosperity Project further elaborated on the lack of access to child care for parents when she stated, “we believe encouraging more access to child care among some of the provinces would be a very helpful thing in order for women to continue to seek leadership roles.”[18]

The reality is that Canada Wide Early Learning and Child Care has decreased parental choice and made it harder for parents to access childcare. According to Statistics Canada, the percentage of families reporting difficulty finding spaces for their children increased from 36.4% in 2019 to 46.4% in 2023.[19] Moreover, in 2022, 19% of parents with children aged 0-5 years who were not using childcare said they had a child on a waiting list, up to 26% in 2023.[20]

Conservative members of the committee are deeply concerned with the Government of Canada’s approach to the rollout of the Canada Wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreements which limits parental choice and, therefore, is detrimental to ensuring women’s economic empowerment.

Supplementary Recommendations

Given these observations, the conservative members of this committee recommend that the following recommendation be added to the committee’s report:

The Government of Canada should endorse all types of childcares to facilitate women’s economic empowerment and participation in the workforce, benefitting both childcare providers and mothers seeking to enter employment.

Conclusion:

In providing our observations and supplementary recommendations, the Conservatives committee members would like to thank the House of Commons analysts and clerks for their hard work in adding to the completion of this report. This supplemental report is by no means a way to cast doubt on their work but rather to highlight the shortcoming of the report adopted by a majority of committee members. Despite the committee failing to address many of our observations, we hope that this supplementary report provides the Government of Canada with insight as it moves forward with the rollout of the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Childcare Agreements.

Respectfully,

Michelle Ferreri, MP

Peterborough–Kawartha

Anna Roberts, MP

King–Vaughan

Dominique Vien, MP

Bellechasse–Les Etchemins–Lévis