Leaders of both the provincial and federal governments say the two parties are coming close to finalizing their long-awaited $10-a-day childcare agreement.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau joined Ontario Premier Doug Ford and members of his party on Wednesday to announce a $1.4 billion investment into electrical vehicle manufacturing in Canada, and fielded questions about the childcare deal shortly afterwards.
A childcare deal would work to reduce the average cost of childcare in Ontario by 50 per cent by the end of 2022, before lowering prices to $10-a-day by 2026.
Trudeau says Ottawa and the province are working well together, and he expects an announcement to come soon.
“We know that families are pressured right now with rising cost of living, the global inflation crisis caused by the pandemic and the illegal war that Vladimir Putin has launched in Ukraine. It’s putting pressure on families.”
Canada’s inflation rate reached a peak of 5.7 per cent yesterday. That’s the highest mark Canada has seen since August of 1991.
“That’s why governments need to continually step up to support hard-working families with things to reduce their costs,” adds Trudeau. “That’s why we’re so excited about the $10-a-day childcare announcements we’ve made across the country, where we’re already seeing childcare costs reduced for many families across the country.”
The Liberal government campaigned on a national $10-a-day childcare plan within five years, and set aside $30 billion in last year’s budget to do so.
A good chunk of that funding, about $1 billion from Ottawa, could lapse if a deal isn’t struck between Ontario and the federal government by March 31, which marks the end of this fiscal year.
But Ontario Premier Doug Ford says he’s confident in the province’s plan to create an additional 338,000 childcare spaces across the province, and says he also expects an announcement soon.
“We’re very, very close. Our teams are working together on a daily basis and we’ll have an announcement soon. It’s so important to make sure we have affordable childcare for all families across Ontario.”
Ontario’s Education Minister Stephen Lecce has been asking the federal government for over $10 billion to help offset Ontario’s current childcare costs – which are listed at some of the highest rates across the country.
Yet, Ontario maintains that the federal government’s offer of $10.2 billion wasn’t enough to run the program, and are asking for a longer funding commitment from the feds.
Ontario became the final province in Canada without a federal childcare deal in January, once Nunavut signed their $66 million five-year deal, which will reduce fees to $10-a-day per child by March 2024, and will increase the number of available spaces in daycare programs.
Over 1,500 Early Childhood Educators, childcare workers and supporters have signed an online letter calling for the provincial and federal governments to ensure the deal is reached, and to ensure the deal includes a strategy to address the province’s childcare worker crisis.
The Association of early Childhood Educators Ontario and the Ontario Coalition for Better Childcare are calling for a salary grid that includes a $25 per hour starting wage for childcare workers and assistants, $30 per hour for ECEs and a stronger benefits package.