Islanders unhappy about changes preventing hiring of more child-care staff, MLA says

Ryan McKellop · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 17, 2025 3:26 PM EDT | Last Updated: 4 minutes ago

Prince Edward Islanders are inactive questioning immigration changes the provincial and national governments person made that are affecting families' entree to child-care spaces, according to the acquisition professional for the provincial Liberals.

Last year, the national authorities announced it would trim the headdress connected the fig of radical P.E.I. tin nominate for imperishable residency this twelvemonth by fractional compared to 2023, taking the fig down to 1,025.

Then the state changed the criteria for its Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP) to bounds immoderate caller applications to radical moving successful wellness care, operation and manufacturing. The programme had antecedently accepted applications for the child-care sector.

Before the changes, workers successful the child-care assemblage were capable to use for a spot successful the provincial program. Now, with much than 2,000 families waiting for entree to child-care, they cannot. 

In the legislature Tuesday, Liberal acquisition professional Gord McNeilly work portions of letters he's received from parents successful enactment of aboriginal puerility educators (ECEs).

"What bash you accidental to health-care workers reasoning of moving to Prince Edward Island lone to larn there's nary abstraction for their children?" McNeilly asked P.E.I. Workforce Minister Jenn Redmond. 

"One doc who has 1,600 patients stated, 'As you are aware, determination is simply a dire shortage of professionals successful the province. It is our quality to person our children be daycare that [lets us] stay astatine enactment astatine afloat capacity.'"

The missive was from a household doctor, whose spouse is simply a code pathologist. McNeilly said it was conscionable 1 of the 28 letters helium received on the aforesaid lines.

In P.E.I., determination are antithetic levels of aboriginal puerility educators. At Level 2, applicants request a one-year certificate successful aboriginal puerility attraction and education, portion Level 3 applicants request to person completed a two-year post-secondary certificate program.

McNeilly questioned wherefore the authorities changed eligibility requirements for the imperishable residency stream.

"Instead of solving staffing shortages successful our centres, this authorities is making things worse," helium said. "Why did you alteration the migration eligibility [for] child-care workers to lone Level 3 aboriginal puerility educators, cutting disconnected Level 2 child-care assistants from the PR stream?"

Workforce Minister Jenn Redmond said the state volition proceed prime Level 3 workers for imperishable residency information first.

"The fig of nominations person not changed," she said. "Those who person the acquisition from Holland College, UPEI, Collège de l'Île volition beryllium drawn archetypal and past we volition proceed to enactment done the levels."

Although aboriginal puerility educators are nary longer accepted nether the AIP, the state said they stay a precedence done the provincial nominee program.

Here's however that works: Eligible workers tin make a illustration successful the province's campaigner pool, wherever they are awarded points based connected factors specified arsenic age, connection skills and enactment experience.

The P.E.I. Office of Immigration conducts regular draws from that pool, inviting selected candidates to use for provincial nomination. If they're successful, applicants yet person a nomination, which helps them summation imperishable residency.

McNeilly said that statement "has nary water," though.

"The bulk of radical affected are Level 2s, minister. Why are you going to Level 3s? That makes zero sense," helium said. "How bash you explicate to families successful your ain territory that their child-care centres mightiness downsize due to the fact that of your mediocre argumentation and deficiency of a plan?"

Robin Croucher, P.E.I.'s acquisition minister, said the province's aboriginal years assemblage is "the envy of the country," fixed changes that person been made recently.

"Our wage grid continues to beryllium implemented, our ECEs are yet being compensated astatine a complaint they deserve," Croucher said. "We privation the best, and I volition marque nary apologies for accepting lone the champion successful our sector."

McNeilly said the contented is astir getting Islanders entree to kid attraction and retaining workers successful the sector.

"How bash you support your determination that actively makes it harder for radical to enactment and enactment successful this province?" helium asked. 

Croucher said strategical investments are being made in child care, with astir 350 caller spaces created successful the past twelvemonth and conscionable implicit 750 much successful development.

On apical of that, helium said determination are pathways acceptable up for existing Level 2 ECEs to upgrade.

"We're graduating 51 Level 3 ECEs from Holland College this twelvemonth alone," Croucher said successful an interview. "We person each kinds of opportunities for ECEs that are successful the strategy close present to upscale to Level 3 and we're breaking down the barriers and the reddish portion to bash so."