Ontario still hasn't shown how it would spend child-care deal funding, federal minister says
The federal minister in charge of child-care efforts says Ontario still hasn't laid out how it would spend billions in funding allocated under a child-care deal.
Families Minister Karina Gould told the CBC radio show "Metro Morning" today that the lack of a detailed plan is holding up negotiations for a deal that aims to provide $10-a-day child care.
Ontario is the only remaining jurisdiction without a child-care deal, and Premier Doug Ford told radio station Q104 Kenora earlier this week that the province is "very, very close" to reaching an agreement with Ottawa.
Gould says Ford's comments are "a good signal" that the province wants an agreement, but notes there's still a "considerable amount" of work to do before one can be achieved.
She says, however, that negotiations tend to move quickly once a plan has been submitted.
The Ontario government has said it is pushing to receive more than the $10.2 billion offered by Ottawa under the national $30-billion, five-year child-care plan to cut fees to an average of $10 per day and cut them in half by next year.
Ford also told a different radio station, CJBQ in Belleville, this week that he wants to make sure the child-care funding continues beyond five years.
Gould called that argument "a bit of a red herring."
"We have money booked into the fiscal framework on an ongoing basis, so no other premier has had that issue," she told CBC.
"Ontario is the lone holdout here and every other province and territory has very clearly understood that the reason why we're signing a five-year agreement is because we want to meet those initial benchmarks and those initial objectives, and we want to be able to review them as we're going."
The minister said there is some pressure to reach a deal before the end of the fiscal year on March 31, or else Ontario won't receive more than a billion dollars earmarked for this year.
The upcoming provincial election could also delay a deal until the next provincial government is formed, she said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 27, 2021.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Nearly 20 hours after a man climbed and remained perched on top of the Reconciliation Bridge in downtown Calgary, the situation came to a peaceful resolution.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.