Description:
This year's Alternative Federal Budget argues that Canada can make different choices than those of the current government.... "It (AFB) demonstrates that the federal government's continued obsession with austerity and balancing the budget comes at the cost of higher household debt, fewer services, and weakened job growth...The AFB, now in its 20th year, brings together leading Canadian economists and sectoral experts to produce a progressive economic plan with the means to pay for it."
"The AFB would ensure that every community has safe drinking water, affordable housing, and effective infrastructure. Our budget would provide affordable childcare for working parents, and access to necessary prescription drugs and dental care for those who can't afford it."
The chapter on child care calls for:
- Federal funding beginning with $1 billion in the first year, increasing by $1 billion each year in subsequent years;
- A national policy framework to guide federal/provincial collaboration, based on public plans, public management, public funding, public accountability to build a system that ensures universal access to high quality ECEC.