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

Prince Edward Islanders are still questioning immigration changes the provincial and federal governments have made that are affecting families' access to child-care spaces, according to the education critic for the provincial Liberals.

Last year, the federal government announced it would reduce the cap on the number of people P.E.I. can nominate for permanent residency this year by half compared to 2023, taking the number down to 1,025.

Then the province changed the criteria for its Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP) to limit any new applications to people working in health care, construction and manufacturing. The program had previously accepted applications for the child-care sector.

Before the changes, workers in the child-care sector were able to apply for a spot in the provincial program. Now, with more than 2,000 families waiting for access to child-care, they cannot. 

In the legislature Tuesday, Liberal education critic Gord McNeilly read portions of letters he's received from parents in support of early childhood educators (ECEs).

"What do you say to health-care workers thinking of moving to Prince Edward Island only to learn there's no space for their children?" McNeilly asked P.E.I. Workforce Minister Jenn Redmond. 

"One doctor who has 1,600 patients stated, 'As you are aware, there is a dire shortage of professionals in the province. It is our ability to have our children attend daycare that [lets us] remain at work at full capacity.'"

The letter was from a family doctor, whose partner is a speech pathologist. McNeilly said it was just one of the 28 letters he received along the same lines.

In P.E.I., there are different levels of early childhood educators. At Level 2, applicants need a one-year certificate in early childhood care and education, while Level 3 applicants need to have completed a two-year post-secondary certificate program.

McNeilly questioned why the government changed eligibility requirements for the permanent residency stream.

"Instead of solving staffing shortages in our centres, this government is making things worse," he said. "Why did you change the immigration eligibility [for] child-care workers to only Level 3 early childhood educators, cutting off Level 2 child-care assistants from the PR stream?"

Workforce Minister Jenn Redmond said the province will continue pick Level 3 workers for permanent residency consideration first.

"The number of nominations have not changed," she said. "Those who have the education from Holland College, UPEI, Collège de l'Île will be drawn first and then we will continue to work through the levels."

Although early childhood educators are no longer accepted under the AIP, the province said they remain a priority through the provincial nominee program.