Olivia Chow, former member of Parliament and City of Toronto councillor, will give a public lecture at York exploring Canadian childcare programs.
The talk, “Affordable Childcare: Why Not Now?,” will take place on Wednesday, April 22, from 2 to 4pm in the Junior Common Room, 014 McLaughlin College, Keele campus. Chow will explore what public policy and political action is needed to establish a national affordable childcare program.
Olivia Chow
For almost 40 years, Canadians have been seeking childcare that is financially reasonable. However, citizens still do not have a national childcare program. Chow’s talk will address this issue and will advocate for an effective national childcare program for Canada.
With a political career that spans three decades, Chow is a well-known public advocate for universal childcare, early learning, sustainable public transit, and refugee and immigrant rights. Chow gained national recognition for her innovative approaches to programs for children and youth as Toronto’s first official children and youth advocate. In Parliament, her Early Learning and Child Care Bill laid the legislative foundation for a universal, high-quality, affordable and non-profit national childcare program.
Chow has enhanced child nutrition programs and free dental care programs for children living in poverty. She has also expanded pre- and post-natal services, and created an award-winning approach to delivering early learning and childcare with her pilot project First Duty.
She was the first Asian-born woman elected to Toronto City Council in 1991, where she served five consecutive terms before heading to Ottawa in 2006 to represent Trinity-Spadina as its member of Parliament. Chow was also a mayoral hopeful in the 2014 race in Toronto.
This event is co-sponsored by the Office of the Master, McLaughlin College.
To RSVP, contact Lorraine Myrie at 416-736-2100 ext. 33825 or lmyrie@yorku.ca.
By Shanice Grocia, communications assistant