Senators urge better, affordable child-care programs The entrance to the Senate building in Ottawa (Jolson Lim/iPolitics) Today, we add our voice to the many women, mothers, economists, academics, and early-childhood experts calling for the creation of affordable and high-quality early-learning and child-care programs throughout the country. The pandemic has driven more than 16,000 women out of the workforce, while the male workforce has grown by 91,000. We need to make sure that the road to recovery considers the critical needs of families with young children, so that mothers can participate in the labour force with the confidence that their children are learning and receiving the care they need before they go to school.