Legislative Assembly of Ontario
Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath moved the following motion 18 November 2014:
Whereas the government of Canada has failed to provide predictable funding to develop and deliver affordable, accessible and high-quality early childhood education and child care programs in Ontario;
Whereas families pay monthly fees of $1,152 on average for one child care spot in Ontario, compared to $152 per month in the province of Quebec;
Whereas investing in high-quality child care will reduce the stress on families; benefit children’s development and future academic success; allow more parents to re-enter the workforce, retrain or go to school; reduce dependence on social assistance; reduce poverty; and will bring $1.75 in return for every $1 invested by our government;
Whereas families, businesses and the economy at large will benefit from investing in our early childhood education and child care programs;
Therefore, in the opinion of this House, this province should partner with the federal government to ensure that every parent in Ontario has access to child care at a cost of no more than $15 a day per child.
With the support of both the NDP and the governing Liberals, the motion passed 67 to 21.