Thomas Mulcair and the federal NDP have nailed down the first plank of their 2015 election platform by committing to a national childcare program. 

Key elements of the plan: 

• Cap the fees at $15 per day per child. 
• 60/40 cost sharing between the provinces/territories and the federal government. 
• $290 million in new federal funding in 2015/16
• 60,000 childcare spaces funded in 2015/16
• Work with the provinces, territories and Indigenous communities to fund and develop national early childhood education and childcare programs delivered with common principles like affordability, availability and quality. 
• Enshrine the program in legislation. 
• Ensure long-term, predictable funding so provinces and communities can plan ahead: this will be phased in over an eight-year time period. 
• Support or maintain the creation of one million new childcare spaces within eight years, when the program is fully phased in.