Liberals vow major reform of daycare system
NDP promises to reverse PCs’ planned health care system cuts
The Liberals pledged sweeping reform of Alberta’s clogged daycare system Monday while the NDP promised to reverse planned health cuts.
Liberal interim leader David Swann vowed an immediate $25-million infusion followed by the gradual implementation of $20-a-day universal child care program.
The reform package also included a promise to introduce full-day kindergarten and a school vaccination program.
“We want to see really accessible, affordable care,” Swann said at a south Edmonton daycare. “It actually pays for itself in other constituencies, like Quebec.”
Swann said the initial $25 million would be used to increase the number of licensed, affordable daycare spaces in the province. The money would be distributed as a subsidy to child care facilities in low-income areas, Swann said, with the expectation that care providers would then reduce the cost of care for families.
Two out of every three Alberta day cares have a waiting list, says a November 2014 study published by Public Interest Alberta.
The Liberals did not determine the cost of providing full-day kindergarten across the province, but the government has previously estimated the cost at roughly $200 million a year.
During an Edmonton campaign stop, NDP Leader Rachel Notley said Alberta’s health-care system needs investment and stability as she unveiled her party’s healthcare platform.
The Progressive Conservative budget in March would have the health system absorb $950 million in “growth pressures” with a further $160-million cut.
Notley said with more than $1 billion effectively sliced from the health system, front-line care will suffer.
“Cuts cannot fix the crisis in our hospitals,” she said.
She said her party would focus on decreasing waiting times and improving patient care by ensuring the health budget keeps pace with the province’s growing population.
“It will be delivered within the context of a responsible fiscal plan,” she said.
She couldn’t provide further details, but said the NDP plans to unveil major policy platforms over the next week.
PC Leader Jim Prentice spent the day campaigning in Calgary and southern Alberta, where he criticized the “bare bones” plans put forward by his opponents.
“There’s the other party that’s not clear what their plan is at all or how they’re going to build or pay for it,” Prentice said, referring to the NDP.
With files from The CP kkleiss@edmontonjournal.com twitter.com/ablegreporter