B.C. United Leader Kevin Falcon promised direct cash payments of up to $955 a month to families who cannot currently access $10-a-day childcare under his party's childcare plan.
Falcon revealed the plan Thursday morning in Greater Victoria at Esquimalt's Saxe Point Day Care, whose owner Meagan Brame is B.C. United's candidate for Esquimalt-Colwood.
Falcon said many British Columbians cast their ballots for the B.C. NDP because the party had campaigned on the promise of $10-a-day childcare.
"There has been a betrayal of trust," he said. "(Almost) eight years later, only 10 per cent of the public is getting affordable daycare and what we are saying is that's not fair."
Falcon said not all families would receive subsidies, adding that the program would be income-tested.
"I do not want Jimmy Pattison's grandchildren getting subsidized $10-a-day daycare," he said.
The subsidies would ensure that childcare costs are capped at $10-a-day for lower and middle-income families, he said.
"So we want to make sure that we provide that relief directly."
The subsidies are part of a plan promising to "significantly" expand childcare access by integrating centres into public facilities like schools and hospitals and expand options through public-private partnerships. The plan also promises better pay for childcare workers and reduced red tape.
Falcon could not cite a specific figure when asked how much it would cost to subsidize childcare, but added that the price will be worth it.
"The province can't afford not to," he said. "(Too) often people look at a childcare as a social policy. It is not. It is an economic development initiative."
He said every opportunity that gets more young working individuals back into the workforce to help grow the economy "more than outweighs" the costs of affordable daycare.
Falcon said B.C. United would start handing out subsidies within the first 90 days of forming government, but acknowledged it would take longer to create more new spaces.
"But we want to fix the financial crisis first, then make sure that after all the families are on an equal footing, go after the seats...I think frankly, we can make a lot of progress in 12 months."
Falcon's policy announcement comes after two MLAs, first Lorne Doerkson, then Elenore Sturko, had defected to the Conservative Party of B.C. within the last six days, citing declining public support for B.C. United and doubts in Falcon's leadership. When Falcon was asked whether Thursday's announcement was a way to change the narrative around his party, he responded by saying that public policy matters.
"Wait (until) I start talking about health-care and some of the other things," he said. "I do believe that the public is frustrated because nothing is working in British Columbia right now and to make things work we need leadership...that actually has thoughtful policies that will deliver results."
Falcon acknowledged the defections, but also pointed to the withdrawal of three Conservative candidates.
"Let's be honest," he said. "They were wingnuts and they had views way outside the mainstream — homophobic, racist, vile views that don't reflect the majority of British Columbians."
Two former New Democrats also sat as independents during past months, he added.
"We lost a couple of MLAs too," he said. "These kinds of things happen in politics, but I can tell you the public doesn't care (about) that kind of politics. What the public cares about is that they are struggling to survive in the most unaffordable province in the country after seven years of NDP government."
Recent weeks have seen questions about the pace of government's roll-out of $10-a-day childcare. Close to $700 million in available federal funds have been left untouched.
Falcon said at current rates families struggling to find affordable childcare will see their children graduate high school by the time those spaces are in place under this NDP government.
Falcon blamed excessive regulation and a lack of incentives for private operators.
"We have just have to recognize that the reason government is unable to deliver the service is because they are trying to make it a government-run, state-run childcare organization."
Mitzi Dean, B.C.'s minister of state for child care, defended her government's record. “We’ve cut the cost of child care in half for families – and there’s a lot more work to do to open more spaces for families, " Dean said. "Since 2018, we have created over 37,000 new child care spaces with more to come, including spaces at schools. We have eliminated waitlist fees. We are supporting private and public providers with operating expenses. We are increasing wages for early childhood educators."
Dean added her government is "determined to keep driving costs down and opening more spaces.”
She also used the occasion to criticize Conservative Leader John Rustad, even though Rustad had nothing to do with Thursday's announcement.
“When Kevin Falcon and John Rustad had the chance, they slashed child care subsidies," she said. "Now they say they want to cut spending and they expect people to believe that they’re going to invest in more services like child care? They would cut investments in child care, not expand them. Just like they did before."
