HUMA Committee Report
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| In accordance with its Order of Reference of Wednesday, February 1, 2023, your committee has considered Bill C-35, An Act respecting early learning and child care in Canada, and agreed on Tuesday, May 2, 2023, to report it with the following amendments: |
| Clause 6 |
| That Bill C-35, in Clause 6, be amended by replacing lines 29 and 30 on page 4 with the following: |
“programs and services that are culturally appropriate, that are led by Indigenous peoples and that respect the right of Indigenous peoples to free, prior and informed consent in matters relating to children.” |
| Clause 7 |
| That Bill C-35, in Clause 7, be amended (a) by replacing line 4 on page 5 with the following: |
“(a) support the provision of, and facilitate equitable access to, high-quality early learning and child care” |
| (b) by replacing line 8 on page 5 with the following: |
“ernments or Indigenous governing bodies, that are reflective of other evidence-based best practices in high-quality service provision and that re‐” |
| (c) by replacing line 10 on page 5 with the following: |
“(b) enable families of all income levels, including low incomes, to benefit from” |
| (d) by replacing lines 13 and 14 on page 5 with the following: |
“(c) support the provision, including in rural and remote communities, of early learning and child care programs and services that are inclusive of children from systematically marginalized groups, including children with disabilities, and of children from English and French linguistic minority communities, that” |
| (e) by replacing, in the English version, line 16 on page 5 with the following: |
“ilies and that respond to their varying needs; and” |
| (f) by replacing lines 20 to 22 on page 5 with the following: |
“ment of young children, including through the recruitment and retention of a qualified and well-supported early childhood education workforce, recognizing that working conditions affect the provision of those programs and services.” |
| That Bill C-35, in Clause 7, be amended by adding after line 29 on page 5 the following: |
“(3) Federal investments in respect of early learning and child care programs and services subject to an agreement entered into with a province must be guided by the commitments set out in the Official Languages Act, in addition to the principles set out in subsection (1).” |
| Clause 11 |
| That Bill C-35, in Clause 11, be amended by replacing line 14 on page 6 with the following: |
| “representative of the diversity of Canadian society, including Indigenous peoples and official language minority communities — to” |
| Clause 14 |
| That Bill C-35, in Clause 14, be amended by replacing line 23 on page 7 with the following: |
| “(b) consult broadly with individuals and organizations that have an interest in early learning and child care, including parents, the early childhood education workforce, child care providers, advocates and policy and research specialists, on matters relating” |
| New Clause 14.1 |
| That Bill C-35 be amended by adding after line 28 on page 7 the following new clause: |
| “14.1 The Minister may, on request of the Council, provide the Council with any information respecting the Canada-wide early learning and child care system that is related to the Council’s functions and that is in the Minister’s possession, if it is within the Minister’s authority to share the information.” |
| Clause 16 |
| That Bill C-35, in Clause 16, be amended by replacing lines 31 to 35 on page 7 with the following: |
| “16 (1) At the end of the fiscal year, the Minister must prepare a report that contains |
| (a) a summary of the information in the Minister’s possession and within the Minister’s authority to disclose relating to the federal investments made in respect of the Canada-wide early learning and child care system during the fiscal year; |
| (b) a summary of the progress being made respecting that system, including information relating to the quality, availability, affordability, accessibility, and inclusiveness of early learning and child care programs and services and to the access to those programs and services; and |
| (c) a summary of the advice provided by the Council under paragraph 14(a) and the work of the Council during the reporting period. |
| (2) The Minister must cause the report to be tabled in each House of Parliament on any of the first 15 days on which that House is sitting after the report is completed.” |
| Preamble |
| That Bill C-35, in the preamble, be amended by adding after line 29 on page 2 the following: |
| “Whereas the Government of Canada is committed to upholding the right of Indigenous peoples to be consulted in order to obtain their free, prior and informed consent for legislation pertaining to Indigenous children;” |
| Your committee has ordered a reprint of Bill C-35, as amended, as a working copy for the use of the House of Commons at the report stage. |
| A copy of the relevant Minutes of Proceedings (Meetings Nos. 57 to 66) is tabled. |