The federal government is diving into the deep end of child care, promising billions in new spending to create additional spaces while driving down fees.
The Liberal's 2021 budget aims to see a 50 per cent drop in daycare fees within the next year with a goal of bringing the cost to just $10 a day by 2026.
Ontario Public Service Employees Union President Smokey Thomas is calling this welcome news that should help many mothers return to the labour force after daycare challenges forced them to leave during the pandemic.
Thomas says it's an ambitious plan that will require the province and the feds to work together.
"If childcare was more affordable I think more women could get into the workforce," he says. "We live in Ontario, so is Ontario willing to go along with it and how much cooperation and working together will there be between the two levels of government?"
But Thomas says he's cautiously optimistic.
"There's a lot of unknowns here and it is an ambitious goal because that's quite a drop. Childcare is not cheap by any stretch," he says. "So I'm not quite sure the logistics of it, how it will work, but I'd say that it's a good first step. But, as I always say, the devil is in the details."
Thomas says the ball is now in Premier Doug Ford's court to implement the changes.
"If he doesn't, then people like myself and other labour leaders, community leaders, people who advocate for affordable childcare, the two opposition parties would hold his feet to the fire. I certainly know my union would do its part to do that because we think there should be affordable childcare," he adds.
The federal budget includes $30-billion over the next five years and $8.3-billion this year for early learning and child care.