Editorial: Albertans Win With Child Care Deal

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Was it a federal-provincial press conference announcing a momentous child care deal or an impromptu debate between two political enemies vying over their differences over natural resources, emissions reduction, and equalization?

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Well, actually it was a lot of the two.

But regardless of Monday’s show, the good news is that the respective governments of Jason Kenney and Justin Trudeau put aside their political acrimony for a few months of negotiation to reach an agreement for affordable and accessible child care that benefits not just both. . parties, but most Albertans, and not just those with young children.

Under the five-year, $ 3.8 billion agreement, which is fully federal funding, Alberta families with young children will see rates, on average, cut in half in January and the average cost of child care for younger children The six-year term will be reduced to $ 10 a day by the end of 2026. In addition, more than 40,000 new nonprofit child care and early learning spaces will be created in the province. That means new jobs and more caregiving options for families.

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Since the $ 30 billion five-year child care program was announced in the April federal budget, eight more provinces and territories have been added. After Kenney initially dismissed the federal plan as “just a kind of institutional, urban, government, union-run child care option,” from nine to five, child care advocates in Alberta began to worry that Alberta would be will be left behind.

But in the end, Kenney said that waiting to sign an agreement gave the province “more flexibility” with the inclusion of existing private space operators. He also argued that the money actually equaled Alberta tax dollars coming home. “This agreement means bringing $ 3.8 billion in tax dollars paid by Albertans to Ottawa back to Albertans to address a key priority for so many families,” Kenney said.

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For Trudeau, signing deals with political enemies in Saskatchewan, and now Alberta, puts pressure on the Ontario and New Brunswick holdouts. “The fact that we could do this with Alberta is a clear indication that it is available to every family in the country,” Trudeau said.

While both Kenney and Trudeau scored political points with the deal, it’s clear that the real winners are Albertans. The pandemic has only underscored the fact that affordable and accessible child care is not just a social program or a women’s issue, but an economic necessity. It leads to increased labor force participation and retention, increased productivity, and makes Alberta a better place to raise a family.

That’s something even Kenney and Trudeau can agree on.

Local editorials are the consensus opinion of the Journal’s editorial board, which includes Colin McGarrigle, Dave Breakenridge, Sarah Bugden and Bill Mah.