By Canadian Press

National daycare system will need funding to lower fees, expand spaces, Hussen says

Dec 28, 2020 | 10:15 AM

OTTAWA — The federal minister in charge of the government’s push on child care says bringing down fees parents pay is a key ingredient in the Liberals’ design for a national system.

Social Development Minister Ahmed Hussen also says that just as critical will be to expand the number of affordable daycare spaces across the country for parents who want them.

He says the two issues have come up in his conversations with his counterparts in other countries that have created national child-care systems.

He also says the two issues are key takeaways from Quebec, which is the lone province with such a system.

Hussen tells The Canadian Press that driving down fees and ramping up the number of spaces would likely require a sizeable influx of federal funds to make it happen.

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He adds that the government expects the already high demand for daycare spots to increase once the pandemic is firmly in the country’s rear-view mirror.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 28, 2020.

The Canadian Press