Canadian Parents Can’t Afford To Ignore Childcare In This Election

Parents are expert multitaskers. We chase our toddlers around the house while mentally preparing for a board presentation. We walk the dog while worrying about the housing crisis. Our attention is rarely focused on just one thing.

Yet, ever since Trump's inauguration, Canadians have been glued to the news coming from the President, like a reality TV show we love to hate. How to deal with Trump dominated the Liberal leadership race, and it's shaping up to be the ballot question in our election.

But let's not forget about affordable childcare in our own country. Political leaders hand out promises like candy at a parade during election time. Don't waste your opportunity to get something sweet by focusing solely on the bully down south.

Affordability was supposed to be our ballot question, an issue that matters now more than ever. While policies like the recently removed carbon tax or dental care get more attention, the financial relief provided by affordable childcare is both newsworthy and budget-saving. Let's break down the numbers.

Carbon tax

Savings of $681.37 per year based on the Parliamentary Budget Officer's projections of household costs in 2030 and 2031.

Dental care

Savings of $461 per year for the 1.7 million Canadians who used the program as of March 2025.

Childcare

Savings of between $5,760 and $10,800, using Ontario and BC examples.

• In Ontario, fees have been reduced by half since 2020, and parents are saving approximately $480 per month per child or $5,760 per year.

• In BC, an infant/toddler in a group facility receives a $900 parent fee reduction per month or $10,800 per year, the same child cared for at an in-home facility receives $600 per month or $7,200 per year.

Sure, all Canadians will financially benefit from the removal of the Carbon tax, but with over 3.2 million children likely benefiting from childcare programs, the impact is significant. Plus, the dollar value of affordable childcare is transformative, while the annual savings from the carbon tax is unlikely to affect people's daily lives in the same way.

This kind of financial support is a game-changer for families and it supports women who choose to go back into the workforce. Before these affordability measures, many women had to choose between giving up 30 to 70 percent of their salary to pay for childcare and staying home to avoid childcare fees. The math usually decided for them.

Today, women get to choose. I can't imagine giving that up, but politicians haven't been clear about their childcare plans. Except for one journalist, no one is asking. As parents, we need to ensure our voices are heard on the policies that truly shape our lives.

• Will Mark Carney's Liberals continue to support affordable daycare and honour the $37 billion commitment Trudeau made on his way out the door?

• How do Poilievre's Conservatives plan to give parents more flexibility in choosing childcare options while also keeping the current federal-provincial agreements, which mainly fund licensed childcare centers to lower fees? If most funding continues going directly to childcare facilities, how would they support other options for parents?

Given that affordable childcare provides approximately 17 times more financial relief to families than dental care savings and 16 times more than projected carbon tax savings, on average, why aren't we talking about it?

In other words, if someone threatened to take up to $10,800 from you, wouldn't you ask a lot of questions? Wouldn't you fight to prevent them from taking it away?

As much as we, polite Canadians, like to criticize the political jousting that takes place during campaigns, elections are our biggest opportunity to have our voices heard. This isn't just because it is a dedicated time for politicians to listen to Canadians, but because we have the one thing they need and have no control over—our vote.

3 actions to protect affordable childcare

1. Talk with your candidates about your childcare challenges. Candidates who aren't in the young family stage might not get it. I spoke with one who thought a live-in nanny was the childcare solution for emergency room nurses working the night shift. He didn't realize that paying the nanny would eat up 40 to 60 percent of the nurse's salary.

2. Ask them to clarify their position and let them know your vote depends on their answer.

3. Encourage your friends to speak up too, the more politicians see affordable childcare as an election issue, the more they will do about it.