Ottawa, B.C. reach deal on childcare funding

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the government has reached a deal with British Columbia on federal childcare funding.

The agreement stipulates Ottawa will work with the province to reach an average of $10-per-day childcare in regulated spaces for children under six years old before 2027, Trudeau said.

The deal aims to create 30,000 new spaces in B.C. in the next five years, with fees for regulated spaces cut in half by the end of 2022.

“If you're a parent, this landmark agreement led by the government of British Columbia and the federal government means that help is on the way,” Trudeau told a news conference in Coquitlam, B.C.

B.C. marks the first province to sign on to the Liberal offer laid out in the April budget, which pledged $27.2 billion over five years, starting this fiscal year, in new spending to subsidize daycares.

The specific strings attached to the pledge will dictate what forms of childcare could be eligible for federal funding, and how much parental fees must drop over the next five years.

The pandemic has laid bare that without good childcare it is practically impossible for parents, especially mothers, to build a career, Trudeau said.

“Hard-working families deserve better and our economy deserves better as well,” he said. “This is exactly what a feminist recovery looks like.”

Trudeau began his day in Metro Vancouver discussing B.C.'S wildfires and recent punishing heat wave with members of his cabinet's Incident Response Group.