Child care good for economy, Oxfam says, May 14

With licensed daycare spaces only available for 27.2 per cent of Canadian children and the average Ontario family spending nearly a quarter of their pay on child care, it’s clear that there’s a problem.

It would be wise for all parties to get on board with universal public child care this election, since millennials will form the largest voting bloc and affordability issues are top of mind.

Young Canadians are grappling with high housing costs and student debt, compounded by stagnant wages and precarious work. For parents of young children, astronomical daycare fees add insult to injury. I say this as a mother spending more than a third of my pay on child care and a quarter on student loans.

Families are sick of working hard without getting ahead. Years of the governments sending parents cheques have not opened up new child care spaces or made them affordable. Let’s try something new.

Tanya Nayler, Ottawa

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