Excerpts
A federal government plan to reduce child care costs will result in big savings for Ontario’s working families, Sudbury MP Viviane Lapointe said in a media release this week.
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Lapointe said the $22 cap is a step towards the Liberal government’s final goal for $10-a-day child care, “bringing much needed cost relief for working families across the country, including Sudbury.”
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Lapointe criticized Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre for describing the child care program as a “slush fund.”
“That kind of thinking is irresponsible at best, and reckless at worst,” Lapointe said. “Affordable child care is putting real money in the pockets of young working parents. It’s also good for the country’s economy as more women can join and remain in the workforce.”
She quoted figures provided by the Financial Post that show Canada has seen a record employment rate for women, indicating the “subsidized daycare plan is working. For women aged 25 to 54, defined by economists as the ‘core’ working demographic, the employment rate reached 81.6 per cent … the highest since collection of this data began in 1976.”
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Lapointe said the federal government’s plan also includes investments to create 86,000 new licensed child care spaces across Ontario by the end of 2026, addressing the long wait times to access child care centres, another challenge for parents.
“Affordable child care isn’t just a policy—it’s an essential part of ensuring that our economy continues to grow,” she added. “When parents have access to affordable child care, they can rejoin the workforce knowing their children are receiving the care and education they need to thrive.”
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