Our children are a treasure. But finding a safe, high quality and affordable place to learn and grow is increasingly difficult for parents of young children in Canada. Countless parents pay more than $ 1000 per child each month for childcare – if they can find a space at all. At the NDP, we think that this is unacceptable.

This is why we propose to create a Canadian early childhood education and childcare program with a goal that parents won’t pay more than $15 per day per child. Here’s how :

 - 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.

- 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.

- Set measurable benchmarks with publically available reporting.

- Support or maintain the creation of one million new childcare spaces within eight years, when the program is fully phased in.

- Recognize that provinces and territories have jurisdiction over the delivery of early childhood education and childcare.

Following the creation of Quebec's childcare program, women's participation in the workforce there increased by 70,000. We recognize that Quebec has been a leader in providing affordable childcare. The province's $7-per-day services would be supported by this new federal investment. 

For every dollar invested in early childhood education, the benefits to provincial and federal governments range from $1.49 to $2.78 through increased tax revenues and decreased social spending. It’s something that we can’t afford not to do.