When the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development comes to Canada to assess this country’s quality of life, its experts usually leave us with a seal of approval. We live well here.There was a notable caveat last year, though: Women aren’t making as much money as men, mainly because of child care responsibilities.There’s a simple and effective cure for that: invest more in child care.More funding for daycare and early childhood education allows more parents to go to work. It boosts family incomes, brings more women into the workforce, gives young children a great start in life, and — in big cities especially — eases the mounting strain on household finances.It reduces income inequality, both immediately and for the next generation. It reduces poverty. It provides much-needed labour for companies looking to expand. It’s almost too good to be true.Daycare support is such a quick fix to so many pervasive economic problems in Canada that it’s no wonder every province signed up readily when the federal government decided a few years ago to give them $7.5-billion over 11 years to bolster child care.Read more:Efficiencies won’t make up for province’s child care cut, John Tory saysDoug Ford’s cuts put over 6,000 subsidized daycare spaces at risk, Toronto warnsOntario cancels $50M fund that helped child-care centres keep parent fees downIndeed, most experts, including the OECD, say it’s not enough, especially given our aging demographics.Conversely, Ontario is heading in the opposite direction. Premier Doug Ford’s cuts to child-care supports are just about the worst thing you could do for an economy searching for growth and clamouring for a more robust workforce.In its spring budget, Ford’s new government cut a total of $80 million from licensed child care, including $50 million to offset costs for licensed child-care providers. Provincial government officials say the cuts are targ ...
|
