Why don't we just pay for childcare when there's a global pandemic once every century? If we need it for a year and a half once per century does that mean everyone should get it for free all the time indefinitely? What's the logic in what Freeland is saying? I don't understand the argument, other than "we're spending tons of money on COVID and stimulus and have a good excuse for it so let's just shove national childcare into it so it's easier for voters to swallow given they've already swallowed 400 billion in COVID money already".
Maybe if the feds, provinces, and municipalities would get off their butts and fix the housing crisis people could afford their own childcare.
I think they're trying to come up with a standard across the country for childcare. Quebec is really good about the issue because obviously they are concerned about population growth and want to promote it.
BC under the "Liberals" (who are really conservatives) didn't offer much. The NDP has done a decent job but the threshold is pretty low for qualifying.
It kind of makes sense to make it a federal issue and it's not really just about the pandemic. Anything after one kid, daycare starts becoming unreasonably expensive and people either forego another kid or it takes women out of the labour market for a number of years to raise their kids.
I know people inevitably turn it into a 'don't have kids' argument, but without getting too philosophical, it makes sense that it becomes a federal issue under the presumption that people do want kids and women's careers are hindered in doing so.