Criticism Arises Over BC NDP’s Child Care Initiative

Child care has emerged as a key issue in the political landscape of British Columbia, with the BC NDP unveiling a new plan on Monday. David Eby, leader of the BC NDP, outlined the party’s proposal which includes an allocation of $500 million over two years aimed at expanding child care facilities. Included in this initiative is a pledge to assign an educational assistant to all Kindergarten through Grade 3 classrooms and to provide a mental health counselor at every school. Additionally, the plan seeks to expand on-site before and after-school child care services.

While the proposal has been welcomed by some, it has also faced criticism. Sharon Gregson from the Coalition of Child Care Advocates of B.C. commented, “The capital budget is great news. We need more spaces, we need them to be long-term public assets.” However, Gregson expressed concerns stating, “Still not enough to meet the demand, and of course the growing demand as more folks move to our province.” She highlighted the need for a pay grid to be implemented to increase wages and attract early childhood educators to fulfill the necessary workforce requirements for these new initiatives.

Adding to the discourse, the BC Conservatives introduced their daycare plan last week. Their platform promises to maintain $10-a-day care, prioritize support for single mothers, and increase private sector involvement. Trevor Halford, Conservative candidate for Surrey-White Rock, criticized the NDP’s historical promises. “This is an NDP government that has now campaigned three times in a row on actually providing child care. Three campaigns they’ve failed, and one of the main reasons for this is they continue to shut out the child-care providers that are actually working in the private sector,” stated Halford.

Despite the introduction of several $10-a-day daycare centers, which constitute approximately 10 per cent of licensed daycares, many families face lengthy waiting lists and costs that are still burdensome, often amounting to hundreds of dollars monthly. Dan Reeves, a political scientist at Camosun College, shared, “I think it fits into the narrative of affordability – one of the overarching narratives of this campaign is affordability.” He predicted that child care accessibility and affordability will remain central themes in political debates over the weeks leading up to the election.