Justin Trudeau was in Montreal yesterday to announce that Quebec would be getting $6 billion over five years for their part of the government’s national child care programmed – but that funding is coming without strings, and that has a few people a little worried. The reason it comes without strings is not because it’s Quebec and they get special treatment (though you’re going to hear that argument), but rather the fact that the province already has a subsidised child care programme for $8.50/day, and meets the federal criteria of their national programme – in other words, they already did the work.

This is where the political pressure within the province will come to play. Premier François Legault was saying that not all of that money will likely be reinvested into the system, but he does this at his own peril – while the province has a system that meets the federal criteria, it’s oversubscribed, and salaries for early childhood educators are considered too low, leading to staff shortages throughout. There is going to be pressure to ensure that the money goes toward fixing these problems – higher wages, training more staff, getting them into place so that the system can grow to meet demand over the next five years, but Legault seems to be underestimating the number of spaces on wait lists, which is why there is concern that the lack of strings will mean it won’t be spent to necessarily fix the problems.

Of course, this is where Alberta’s minister enters the picture and complains that they wanted the same deal – their portion of the federal funds without strings – and were rebuffed. Of course, there is no recognition that Quebec has the system in place that meets the federal requirements, and Alberta does not, nor does there seem to be any hint of recognition within the provincial government that these are investments that pay off in the long run as more women enter into the work force and generate tax revenues greater than what gets spent on those early learning and child care spaces. And given the experience from the pandemic, it’s more important than ever that they build this system.

https://twitter.com/LindsayTedds/status/1423436550344482827

https://twitter.com/LindsayTedds/status/1423470159168159746

https://twitter.com/LindsayTedds/status/1423470175614078979

Good reads:

• Justin Trudeau has asked the Clerk of the Privy Council about whether they can mandate vaccines for federal employees, and possibly federally-regulated sectors.
• A year after Trudeau took a knee at a Black Lives Matter protest, the CBC says that progress has been made on 22 out of 44 calls to action by the Black Caucus.
• Dr. Theresa Tam says that an election with in-person voting can be held safely.
• Patty Hajdu wrote to her Alberta counterpart to express concern about their dismantling of health measures; Tyler Shandro accused her of “playing politics.”
• There are questions about the transparency of the Afghan interpreter resettlement, including why those who already fled the country for their safety aren’t included.
• Some seniors who took advantage of pandemic benefits may now be ineligible for GIS, as it’s income-tested.
• Liberal MP Larry Bagnell has decided not to run again, leaving the Yukon seat open.
• Quebec is moving ahead with a domestic vaccine passport system.

Odds and ends:

More vice-regals need to wear the civil uniform more often. https://t.co/Fgc0R803Jr

— Dale Smith (@journo_dale) August 5, 2021

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