TORONTO — Ontario’s education minister says the province does want a child-care deal with the federal government, but it is negotiating for more money.
Stephen Lecce says Ottawa contributes 2.5 per cent of Ontario’s child-care costs, but “they could do much, much more.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Alberta Premier Jason Kenney are set to announce a child-care deal today, leaving Ontario as a holdout.
The federal Liberal government has already inked deals with seven other provinces and one territory on its $30-billion, five-year child care plan, which promises to cut fees to an average of $10 per day across the country.
Lecce says a good deal for Ontario is on the horizon, but he wants one that is flexible and sustainable.
He says any deal must take into account Ontario’s full-day kindergarten program, funded by provincial taxpayers for 260,000 four- and five-year-old kids.
