Coming deal on national child care will compel provinces to expand services

Provinces won’t be able to use federal child care funding to subsidize their own programs under the terms of a national framework set to be unveiled in the coming days.

Instead, the Trudeau government wants provinces and territories to use their share of new funding on regulated operations geared specifically for families in need and children under the age of six.

A recently released Manitoba cabinet order lays out the broad details of the framework to be released Monday when provincial and territorial leaders meet in Ottawa to sign the parameters for individual funding deals.

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A spokesman for Social Development Minister Jean-Yves Duclos says the framework is to be discussed at Monday’s meeting, but offered no other details about the agenda.

The national child care framework sets out the governing principles for the 10-year child care spending the government unveiled in March: quality, accessibility, affordability, flexibility and inclusivity.

The spending amounts to $7 billion in new child care funding from the federal government, starting with $500 million this fiscal year and increasing to $870 million annually by 2026.

Article source: http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/child-care-provinces-funding-1.4151785?cmp=rss