FEWO Committee Report

Supplementary Opinion New Democratic Party of Canada

Introduction

The NDP is appreciative to the Committee members, staff, analysts, and the witnesses who participated in this study of the Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Women.

This pandemic has hurt many Canadians, this is especially true for the most vulnerable in our country. It is incumbent on us as Members of Parliament to make sure people don’t fall between the cracks; to make sure government programs address the realities and needs of many diverse communities. Women are disproportionately affected by every economic downturn or public health crisis and of course, COVID-19 has impacted women, but additionally women from racialized groups, newcomer communities, Indigenous women, and those with disabilities are even more marginalized.

The government continuously rejected New Democrats’ calls to make the Canadian Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) universal, however because support programs are not universal, those who are more at-risk are the ones who are least supported. Sadly, the government’s targets will continue to exclude the most vulnerable in our society and continue to leave many women behind.

Child Care

Child care experts, economists, business owners and many parents agree, Canada’s economic recovery is dependent upon an affordable, quality, universal child care system. The vast majority of witnesses during this study agreed that,

“Child care can indeed play a threefold role in recovery. Beyond simply facilitating women's return to work and indeed being a source of employment, the decision to ensure that childcare is affordable, and that high-quality early learning is accessible to all families is going to maximize the future of the next generation of Canadian children... That would lower public spending and increase revenues for governments and society. It pays for itself in the short term and in the long term” (Ms. Armine Yalnizyan - Economist and Atkinson Fellow on the Future of Workers).

As businesses and the economy re-open, it is essential that child care providers get the financial support they need in order to provide child care services in safe conditions for children. It is crucial that we do everything in our power to keep educators and child care workers safe and healthy. This requires reduced capacity at care centre facilities and enhanced staff to child ratios.

For far too long, under-investment by successive Liberal and Conservative governments has failed to ensure working Canadians can get access to child care. Child care is the second biggest expense for families after housing. Working families shouldn’t have to choose between going to work and taking care of their children. Parents need quality, affordable childcare.

While this report does recognize the need for investments in child care it doesn’t acknowledge that the program needs to be universal in order for it to be accessible. Liberals and Conservatives continue to push for means tested programs that will leave women and families behind and let people fall between the cracks.

NDP Recommendation 1:

That the Government of Canada implement measures that will create a national, universal, affordable child care system by:

• Immediately investing $2.5 billion into child care to recover the spaces lost because of the pandemic
• Investing an additional $10 billion over four years into child care
• Working with the provinces, territories, and Indigenous governments to establish a national, universal, affordable early learning child care system.
• Enshrining this commitment to quality, affordable publicly funded child care into law, and set out the principles, conditions, and requirements for federal transfer payments to provinces (like the Canada Health Act) with a right for Quebec to opt out with compensation.
• To commit $10 million right away to an Affordable Child Care Action Fund and create a national childcare secretariat.

Sex Work

The Liberal governments definition of work is based on the idea that sex work isn’t work. They created support programs that continue to overlook people who don’t fit their definition of work. While the Employment Insurance program and other credit measures were expanded, the reality remains that these programs have traditionally and continues to overlook sex workers.

With the government financial supports not applicable to sex workers, this means giving up any income that they might have. That is why New Democrats called for a universal and less administratively complicated approach to financial support during the crisis.

NDP Recommendation 2:

That the Government of Canada implement measures to protect the rights and reduce stigmatization of sex workers, such as:

• conducting a review of the Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act, ensuring that sex workers are consulted in this review process;
• examining measures to decriminalize sex work;
• providing funding for peer-led community support and referral services for sex workers; and
• ensuring that sex workers are eligible for federal income and emergency supports when they cannot generate an income including during a public health crisis.

Unpaid Work

New Democrats believe that the federal government has an important role to play in making work better, fairer, and more secure for everyone. Many women take on the role of caregiver to a loved one or rely on the caregiving of family members. Women lost their jobs at approximately twice the rate of men in the first month of the pandemic, often having to take on more unpaid care work. Even with the economy opening back up in parts of Canada, many women still can’t return to work because of these care needs. Women accounted for only 29% of job recoveries.

NDP Recommendation 3:

That the Government of Canada, with the goal of recognizing the value of unpaid caregiving work, including caring for spouses, children, grandchildren, and seniors, ensure that current federal supports and tax credits for caregivers meet the needs of individuals providing this unpaid care and explore initiatives to improve recognition and compensation for individuals performing unpaid care work.

In order to help make life a little more affordable for caregivers, who are overwhelmingly women, the government of Canada must make the Canada Caregiver Tax Credit refundable. This will provide thousands of dollars to the most low-income caregivers, many of whom have given up work completely to care for a loved one.

Universal Basic Income

As we emerge from lockdown, millions of Canadians will not have jobs to which they can return; many will not see their incomes recover to what they were before. Like previous recessions, there will be fewer middle-class jobs and more low-pay jobs, and the end of CERB, and the federal government clawback of these benefits will leave millions of Canadians worse off.

New Democrats are happy that this report calls on the Government of Canada, with the goal of eliminating income insecurity and financially empowering women, to consider replacing existing emergency benefits with a permanent universal basic income program.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the New Democratic Party of Canada.