CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY
Hello, everyone.
I want to begin by addressing the news that more unmarked graves have been found near a former residential school in B.C.
My heart breaks for the Penelakut Tribe, and for all Indigenous communities across Canada.
I recognize these findings only deepen the pain that families, survivors, and all Indigenous peoples and communities are already feeling, and that they reaffirm a truth that they have long known.
To members of the Penelakut Tribe: we are here for you.
We cannot bring back those who were lost, but we can – and we will – continue to tell the truth.
Just like we will continue to work in partnership with Indigenous peoples to fight discrimination and systemic racism with real, concrete actions.
I’m joining you from Ottawa today on traditional Algonquin territory, but it’s great to see that ministers Hussen and Jordan, as well as MP Geoff Regan and so many other of our friends are there in person for this important announcement.
I want to give a big shout-out to all members of our outstanding team in Nova Scotia joining us virtually.
And of course, I’m very happy to be joined by Premier Rankin and Minister Mombourquette.
It’s great to see you both.
I’m really looking forward to being back in Nova Scotia again.
It’s been far too long.
I got out across the country a little bit last week, but I look forward to making it to Atlantic Canada and engaging with all of you. Premier Rankin and Dr. Strang have done an awful lot to finish the fight against COVID-19.
I know that tough decisions often had to be made, but that the safety of people was always top of mind.
Nova Scotians have worked hard through this pandemic and have always looked out for each other.
The sacrifices made have paid off, as we’re seeing fewer and fewer cases, and brighter days ahead.
Vaccination rates are increasing quickly, with more than 82 per cent of eligible people in Nova Scotia with at least one dose and more than 45 per cent fully vaccinated.
On the national scale, we’ve hit an important milestone today in our efforts to protect Canadians from COVID-19 as soon as possible.
Almost 80 per cent of eligible Canadians have now received their first dose and more than 50 per cent have received their second dose.
Beyond our borders, we continue to do our part to ensure that everyone, everywhere, has access to COVID-19 vaccines.
Because, to end this pandemic anywhere, we have to end it everywhere.
Yesterday we announced that we’re stepping up our support to help vaccinate the world with a donation of 17.7 million AstraZeneca doses through COVAX.
Canadians can also help us deliver these life-saving vaccines to the world.
That’s why our government is teaming up with UNICEF Canada.
By texting the word “vaccines” to 45678, you can donate $10 to help somebody else in the world get a vaccine and the Government of Canada will match your donation.
Canadians have always shown generosity in times of crisis, and there’s never been a time like today to help and give a vax.
I’m really happy to see many families in the background today.
I know these past months, this past year and a half has been really difficult on an awful lot of parents, an awful lot of kids, but especially for moms.
We’ve seen the challenges of working via Zoom with kids at home, not being able to go to child care, and not being able to go to school. It has caused real pressure on families and highlighted what they have always known.
Which is that child care is not just a social program, it’s an economic program.
As parents, you have had to juggle a lot during this pandemic.
But on top of that, the lack of affordable, high-quality child care has meant difficult and sometimes impossible choices.
From the very beginning of the pandemic, we made a promise that we’d have your back.
What we learned very clearly through this pandemic is that having your back doesn’t just mean delivering vaccines and PPE.
It doesn’t just mean keeping people safe, supporting small businesses, supporting workers, and supporting people across the country.
It also means recognizing that this is a she-cession.
That women were hit harder than many other groups and that we need to take lessons learned from this pandemic and build back better.
I heard from parents right across the country on how important it is to move forward on child care.
And that the business community finally stepped up and said. “Yes, please move forward on child care as well” is really, really exciting.
I see Sean Fraser on this Zoom.
Molly’s getting into grade school now but for the new baby Jack, this is an exciting announcement.
Congratulations to Sean and Sarah on your newest addition.
I know child care is really something that’s on your mind.
And Iain, Premier Rankin, I know you and Mary are also thinking about that.
That’s going to be exciting for the coming fall.
It’s opportunities like this that allow everyone to get that high-quality affordable child care, which is not a luxury, but a necessity right across the country.
And this is particularly true for women, who for too long have known that good child care is essential to building a successful career.
As we start to build back better, we must ensure that mothers and families have access to quality, affordable child care.
It’s important that our children have rewarding child care experiences, and it’s important for our economy to ensure that more women can be in the labour market.
We are therefore taking concrete measures to give everyone the chance to succeed.
And we are taking concrete measures to ensure that our recovery is feminist.
The time for a Canada-wide early learning and child care system is now.
Just last week, we took a big leap forward in making that goal a reality by signing a historic early learning and child care agreement with British Columbia.
And today, I’m excited to announce that an agreement was signed with the Government of Nova Scotia to make child care more affordable for families in the province.
As part of the agreement, in the next five years, we’ll work with the provincial government to achieve an average of $10-a-day child care for all regulated spaces for kids under six.
By the end of next year, average child care fees will be cut in half.
For families here with young kids: this will make a huge difference.
Within two years, we’re going to create 4,000 new spaces and a total of 9,500 over the next five years.
This is real change you can count on.
Today’s announcement shows that governments from coast to coast to coast can come together and deliver real progress for Canadian families, no matter where they live.
We’re focused on building the right foundations for a community-based and truly Canada-wide system of child care.
In Nova Scotia, this includes growing quality spaces in the not-for-profit child care sector, creating inclusive child care spaces, and supporting the recruitment and retention of qualified child care workers.
These are key to the long-lasting success of this plan.
I would like to take a moment to thank those who work in the child care sector.
Your contributions have been essential to creating this plan.
Thank you for continuing to demand better child care opportunities for families.
And know that this is just the beginning.
You will always have a place at the table as we work to create a better system.
We’re building a better future for families and for our economy.
Creating a strong early-learning and child care system represents a way to build communities and the most effective step we can take to support our economy in the short, medium, and long term.
It’s about making sure that everyone has the same access to opportunities, even from their youngest age.
Let’s continue to work together to make Canada the best place to be a child and to raise a child.
Before I end today, I want to once again thank Premier Rankin and his team for their tremendous collaboration on this file.
Iain, I can remember our very first phone call when you had just gotten elected as Premier, where you made it clear that child care was a top priority.
You’ve always been a strong partner in making this ambitious goal a reality.
This is a game-changing policy for families in Nova Scotia and continues to set a high bar right across the country, while ensuring fairness, equity, and inclusion to get more women in Nova Scotia and across the country into the workforce.
Thank you all. Thank you, my friends.