When it comes to child care, families deserved much more than what they got under the previous BC Liberal government.
I have heard countless stories over the years from couples who were forced to raise their families on just one income because the cost of child care was as much or more than the second parent would earn in the workforce. Single-parents have told me about not being able to afford the combined cost of rent, food, and child care—and being left to make impossible choices for their families.
When I think of families struggling to find a space for their child, I’m reminded of Tiffany Ottahal. She and her husband struggled to find affordable daycare for their two children near their Burnaby home. They owned their condo, had lived in Burnaby for more than a decade, and were extremely connected to their community. But the total cost of child care for their two children was going to be $2600 – a figure that was -like for most families- out of reach. In the end, they were forced out of their community and had to resettle far from the city, just so they could afford adequate care for their children.
Like every parent, they wanted to be able to raise their family in a place they called home, sharing with their kids the community they knew and loved. Sadly, that joy was taken from them because the previous BC Liberal government ignored a crisis we could all see growing right in front of us right across the province.
Under the previous BC Liberal government, life had become more and more unaffordable and the cost of child care was a huge contributor. BC Liberal campaign slogans about jobs and putting families first fall flat considering they failed to recognize that parents need accessible, affordable child care so they can get back into the workforce to support their families and grow our economy. By re-vamping the way that government supports child care and Early Childhood Educators, we are also making it easier for parents to remain in the workforce and contribute to our economy in a meaningful way. If we are serious about boosting the participation of women in the economy and eliminating the gender wage gap, we need to start with affordable, universal child care. That’s why the steps we are taking are so important for families, and communities.
Today, Tiffany has been able to benefit from one of the new affordability programs that our government has made available to families in licensed care. Our New Democrat government sees the value in investing in families so that they can stay in their communities, go back to work, and not be worried about their children while they’re in somebody else’s care. While I’m happy that Tiffany and her family have found a way to make things work for them, I am sad to have lost a neighbour and such an engaged citizen in my community.
This fee reduction program is just one of the many measures included in our government’s Child Care B.C. plan to transform the current child care system and build universal child care in B.C. As part of this plan, we have launched a capital funding program that will see 22,000 new child care spaces open up around the province in the next 3 years, so that parents will no longer be forced to wait in line for child care. We are creating more training spaces for Early Childhood Educators and working on a workforce recruitment and retention strategy that includes a plan to raise wages. The Child Care B.C. plan also focuses on ensuring that all children have access to quality early learning experiences at this crucial time in their development. This is part of our strategy to make life more affordable for parents who have been struggling for too long under the previous government.
I feel hopeful that in the future, people will not be so overwhelmed by the cost and limited availability of child care that they feel they have to uproot their families and their lives to make it work. I think we can all agree that children are the future of this province, and that appropriate and affordable child care can and will have a huge positive impact on the next generation.