REGINA - Political opponents are up at arms on word that Saskatchewan is one of two provinces not yet signed on to extend $10 a day child care.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the federal government have committed an additional $36.8 billion over five years after the current agreement expires on March 31 of next year. But Saskatchewan and Alberta are not yet signed to extend that agreement.
Talks are still ongoing, according to reports, but that is not enough for CUPE Saskatchewan. In a statement, CUPE says the future of the program in the province is uncertain.
“Scott Moe is leaving approximately $1 billion dollars for affordability measures on the table. This decision ultimately hurts families and workers, and will certainty hurt the economy,” said Kent Peterson, president of CUPE Saskatchewan.
“What is Scott Moe even doing right now? He has been missing on his response to recent tariffs, and now he is missing in action on child care.”
The opposition New Democrats are also blasting the Moe government for not signing on.
“The Sask. Party government failed to act on tariffs, refused to join the national school food program, and now they’re ignoring a childcare crisis,” said Joan Pratchler, critic for Childcare and Early Learning, in a statement. “They should be ashamed.”
The NDP stated in a news release that childcare centres, many of which are non-profits, rely on the funding to stay open and support local jobs. They also noted that on Feb. 17, childcare advocates wrote to Minister Hindley urging action, but there is still no response.
“The Sask. Party needs to stop hiding and do its job,” Pratchler said in a statement. “The Sask. Party must immediately sign the childcare deal and save these jobs.”
Sask Today has reached out to the province for a response. They provided the following statement:
"An extension to the negotiation should mean listening to operators to make improvements to the agreement so they can be beneficial for children, operators, and our governments for years to come.
"A negotiation of an extension to the child care agreement must include things such as: Inclusion of terms from other Provincial ELCC Agreements; Flexibility to address before/after school programs.
"We remain ready to negotiate in good faith before the expiration of the current agreement on March 31, 2026."
The province and the federal government had signed on to $10 a day child care in March, 2023. At the time Saskatchewan was the third jurisdiction, after Nunavut and Manitoba, to reach $10 a day.
The provincial government stated at the time they had a goal of creating 28,000 childcare spaces in the province by 2025-26. But the NDP has been critical of the government for not providing enough child care spaces or enough workers to meet the demand.
