By: Hon. Lena Metlege Diab, Member of Parliament for Halifax West
I want to wish everyone a wonderful holiday season. No matter what celebrations you and your family hold dear, I hope this time is filled with love, joy, and togetherness for everyone. To all our students, I wish you great success during your exam period, and that you have a restful break from your studies before your next semester.
With the end of the year fast approaching, I am proud to share that our Canada-Nova Scotia Child Care Agreement will deliver a 50% reduction, on average, of regulated childcare fees for Nova Scotian families by December 31. This will save families with an infant in full-time licensed childcare approximately $6,000 over the course of a year! I am thrilled to see this important promise fulfilled, because I know how significant a difference a more affordable childcare system will make for our young families in Halifax West. I am also pleased to see that the province is on track to create 1,100 new childcare spaces by the end of this year, thanks to our transformational investment. As we continue to face challenges from global inflation, this is one major measure that will put money back into the pockets of people in our community.
As our government continues our work to build an affordable and inclusive Canada-wide early learning and childcare system, we know that we need expert advice to get it right. To best support this system, Minister Karina Gould announced last month that the members of the newly created National Advisory Council on Early Leaning and Child Care have been selected. This committee of sixteen members will include those with various backgrounds, including academics, advocates, caregivers, and experts in the field. Committee members will provide advice and insight on the best ways to build and support this sector from coast to coast, developing recommendations and reports that will be useful in ensuring a flexible and well-balanced system for all. I would like to congratulate Dr. Christine McLean of Halifax West on her selection. Having met Dr. McLean a number of times at Mount Saint Vincent University, I am very confident that her decades of expertise will prove invaluable to the Committee’s important work.
To those in Halifax West and across the province, Merry Christmas, and Joyeux Noël. I am looking forward to being able to spend more time in the riding in January, and I hope that includes chances to connect with you, your family, and neighbours. Be well this holiday season!
