Canadian Election and Child Care

As a childcare provider, and parent, the topic of childcare is important to me when it comes to election time. I was very frustrated to not have all the information I wanted from the different Parties at my fingertips. I heard more about what other parties were not going to do, then actual campaign platforms from the Parties themselves.

After some digging, I have found some information from the 4 main political Parties about their campaign platforms as they pertain to childcare.

Conservatives:

• Plan to continue the $1200/year family tax credit


• Have given money to provinces to help create spaces

Liberals:

• Develop a National child care program at $1.25 Billion / year


• Change parental leave structure, so people who take shorter leaves get the same benefits in the shorter time frame.


• Extend maximum leave time to 18 months

Green:

• Restore the National Child care program, (see Liberals above)


• Tax credit for companies that put childcare spaces in the workplace.

NDP:

• Enact the New Democrats’ Early Learning and Child Care Act – which has already passed Second Reading in Parliament - to establish the program in law for the first time in Canada.


• Establish and adequately fund a Canada-wide childcare and early learning program. Will make high quality, accessible, affordable, non-profit and licensed childcare available to Canadian families, including aboriginal Canadians. These initiatives will create 150,000 new childcare spaces in the first year, growing to 220,000 spaces per year in the fourth year.


• Ensure a healthy head start for kids. Will develop a Children’s Nutrition Initiative to support and expand provincial and local programs that provide healthy meals to schoolchildren.

Hopefully, this information will help you as you make your decision on who to vote for in the October 14th election.