Ontario weakened its $10-a-day child care funding rules. Now the federal government is demanding answers from all three of the major parties. Here’s what the parties have to say about the changes.
Child care funding: What was in the 2018 election platform?
As introduced, the new rules would have forced all three parties to pay into funding child care — starting at two children — for all children under three in an income household. If one of those parties refused, parents and grandparents would have had to pay.
There were also several other rules, including the requirement that both parents must be covered by the plan.
The Liberals made a point to say they’d “fund” child care, but it was unclear what that meant.
So what’s changed?
For one, both parties decided not to proceed with the two-child rule after the election.
For parents and grandparents who don’t have children of their own, they’d pay the amount into the funding stream only.
The Liberals, which promised funding three years ago, now say those children will still be eligible to receive child care services regardless of their age.
The Conservatives, who made a point to say they’d fund child care but then dropped that promise, now say they won’t fund it.
The NDP promised funding for a portion of the cost of child care, but dropped that promise as well.
The change is the culmination of a long-running feud between the Liberals, who have always funded child care, and the Conservatives, who have traditionally opposed funding it.
When did it happen?
In late 2018, the Liberals unveiled their platform, which promised $1.9 billion over four years for child care.
In mid-April, however, after receiving the Ontario Child Care Benefit, they announced they’d be reducing that to $1.7 billion.
In May, the Liberals introduced legislation to raise the annual average amount of the child care subsidy from $2,200 to $2,700, and promised to fund child care for three years