Office of the Official Opposition
For Immediate Release

St. John’s, NL (June 2, 2020) – PC Official Opposition critic for Early Childhood Development and MHA for Bonavista, Craig Pardy, and the critic for the Office of the Status of Women and MHA for Harbour Main, Helen Conway Ottenheimer, today expressed their frustration over comments made by the Premier during the daily COVID-19 briefing regarding childcare on Monday.

The Premier responded to a question regarding access to childcare for people working from home saying that the second caregiver in a household can provide the necessary childcare.

Pardy says, “Our offices were flooded by phone calls and emails of parents concerned with the Premier’s comments yesterday. Raising children is a rewarding but challenging task; we need to provide supports for both essential and non-essential workers now and into the future. We also have to acknowledge that there are plenty of single parents and non-traditional families that desperately need childcare.”

Women disproportionately are the primary caregivers of children in Canada and the Minister Responsible for the Office of the Status of Women has been notably absent from public briefings on issues related to her portfolio.

Conway Ottenheimer says, “Women in our province urgently need access to childcare and a lack of supports can negatively impact their career, mental health, and the wellbeing of their children. Quite frankly, it’s sad that the Minister responsible for women’s issues has been so silent – this silence has been deafening for women in our province.”

Contacts:

Bradley Russell

Director of Policy and Research

(p) 1.709.729.3668

BradleyRussell@gov.nl.ca

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