CHAT News file photo

By Teagan Rasche

Cross-country conversations

Alberta left out of Trudeau’s childcare announcements

Jul 14, 2021 | 4:21 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – One of the biggest financial commitments in the 2021 federal budget announced in April was made to help parents cover the cost of expensive childcare.

Over the past week, Justin Trudeau has made announcements in British Columbia and virtually for Nova Scotia, as the first step to turning the plan into a reality.

But when Trudeau met with Jason Kenney last Wednesday in Calgary, there was no talk about childcare.

Medicine Hat College political science instructor Jim Groom says the prime minister knows the UCP government won’t be receptive to childcare monies coming in as affordable daycare is low on Kenney’s list of priorities.

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As Trudeau makes these announcements for other provinces, Groom calls this the soft underbelly of Canadian politics.

“By going to like-minded ideologically linked governments, Nova Scotia and B.C., in order to soften up the target a little bit and when those folks buy into the deal it makes it harder for the non-liberal approach governments to not buy into the same process,” Groom said.

Groom says cutting daily childcare costs from $60 a day to $10 would be a huge incentive to increase the workforce.