BC gets a failing grade for affordable child care
Posted October 16, 2014 11:03 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – A new report card on women’s rights gives BC a failing grade when it comes to child care.
BC is the second most expensive province for child care and ranks lowest in the country when it comes to labour market participation of women with children under the age of 12, according to West Coast LEAF.
“We looked to the example of Quebec, which has a $7-a-day child plan. We see that their rates of women participating in a paid labour force are vastly higher than British Columbia’s,” says Laura Track with the group.
Track adds the childcare system there has more than paid for itself in the time it’s been in place.
She doesn’t think the $55-a-month tax credit for child care is enough. “[That’s] just a drop in the bucket. We’re calling for a publicly funded child care plan… where families can access child care for $10 a day.”
Despite government claims that a public child care system would be too expensive, Track argues evidence shows that BC’s lack of affordable options means major limitations on our economic growth.
