The National Commission of Francophone Parents (CNPF) and the Federation of Francophone and Acadian Communities (FCFA) of Canada on Wednesday called on the federal government to accept an amendment to Bill C-35, to guarantee funding for French-speaking daycares.
“Don’t abandon French-speaking families,” implored the two organizations in a press release. “The figures show a glaring lack of French-language daycare spaces in the country. Without this amendment, the situation will get worse,” warned the director general of the CNPF, Jean-Luc Racine.
In March 2022, the Ontario and federal governments implemented a five-year plan to reduce the cost of child care to an average of $10 per day. Bill C-35 will ratify these agreements.
The amendment, adopted by the Senate last December, aims to ensure that section 8 commits the Government of Canada “to maintaining long-term funding” for childcare services intended for “official language minority communities.” in the same way that there is mention of centers “intended for indigenous peoples”.
The ball is now in the court of the House of Commons. But, until now, Ottawa “has given no indication of its intention to support or not this amendment”, deplore the CNPF and the FCFA.
Further details will follow.
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