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“With this kind of federal commitment on the table, there’s no reason for British Columbia not to implement the $10-a-day plan,” she said. “It’s in their court. The feds have come to the table.”

She added that she hopes Ottawa will introduce accountability measures to make sure B.C. is using the cash to support a public child-care system.

But later Wednesday afternoon, B.C. Finance Minister Mike de Jong gave a blunt “no” when asked if the federal commitment has changed his position on the subsidized plan championed by the provincial NDP.

Child care is shaping up to be a key issue in this spring’s B.C. election — particularly in Metro Vancouver, where parents often spend years on waiting lists for affordable options. The NDP have put their support behind a $10-a-day subsidized plan, but the ruling Liberals have said that would be too big of a strain on the public purse.

Last month, the B.C. budget set aside an additional $20 million for child-care spaces in the year ahead, adding 5,000 spots to the 113,000 already licensed.

De Jong said his understanding of the new federal funding commitment is that the focus will be on creating new child-care spaces.

“The more spaces that are built, the less pressure there is on wait lists and there’s better availability,” he said.

According to federal government officials, the funding announced in the latest budget could be spent on new child-care centres, as well as subsidies for parents or wage subsidies for child-care providers.

The federal budget also invests $30 million a year over the next five years to extend parental leave to 18 months, a feat that will be accomplished by spreading 12 months’ worth of payments over that time.

blindsay@postmedia.com

twitter.com/bethanylindsay

-With files from The Canadian Press

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