Province accuses feds of bad-faith bargaining in latest child care offer

Alberta's government is accusing the federal government of “badfaith” negotiating after Quebec became the latest province to sign an agreement on a national child care program Thursday.

Quebec is the sixth jurisdiction in Canada to sign a deal on the funding first announced in April's federal budget, which promises to cut the cost of child care in half in 2022, and provide $10-a-day spaces by 2026 across the country.

Alberta Children's Services Minister Rebecca Schulz said in a statement Thursday Quebec's $6-billion, five-year deal is the “exact agreement” Ottawa rejected when proposed by Alberta.

“When we asked Ottawa if any province would receive a straight transfer of child care dollars with no conditions attached, we were told no. This is dishonest, bad-faith negotiating from Ottawa right before an election. It's frustrating to see Alberta parents could be left behind because of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's cynical pre-election manoeuvring, especially given that we are absolutely committed to affordable, accessible child care that meets the diverse needs of Alberta kids and families,” Schulz said.

However, under Quebec's subsidized program, parents pay $8.50 per day at public child care centres, something Premier François Legault noted the province spends $2.7 billion on per year.

Since that program exists already, Legault said, the federal money will go toward adding spaces, improving working conditions and salaries for workers, as well as reimbursing some of the province's expenses.

Trudeau has already signed $10-a-day child care deals with British Columbia, Nova Scotia, Yukon, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador.

Schulz said Alberta can reduce fees to $10 per day or less for low-income families, and cut fees by an average of half while still respecting parental choice and flexibility.

In its 2021-22 budget, Alberta earmarked $386 million for child care.

In a Thursday statement, NDP Opposition children's services critic Rakhi Pancholi accused the provincial government of weak and ineffective leadership on the file, noting that it cancelled the NDP'S $25-per-day child care pilot program.

“Instead of stepping up to support Albertans, (Premier) Jason Kenney is throwing a temper tantrum as thousands of Alberta families struggle to pay their child care bills. The UCP are turning their nose up at $3.8 billion that could be circulating in our economy right now,” Pancholi said.