Prominent women leaders in BC Call on Premier Eby to recommit to $10aDay child care
Last week, 23 influential women leaders in British Columbia added their names to a full-page open letter in the Globe & Mail urging Premier David Eby to recommit to building BC’s $10aDay child care system.
The letter brings renewed public attention to the state of child care in BC. The province was once at the forefront of child care reform, making early commitments to universal $10aDay child care in 2018 and becoming the first province to sign a federal early learning and child care agreement in 2021. However, the open letter to Premier Eby says progress has stalled and there’s deep concern his government is walking away from its own commitment to create universal access returning instead to the failed market-based, income-testing approaches of the past, dismantling the progress that has been made.
“BC now has the most expensive child care in Canada. Too many families still face long waiting lists. Early childhood educators—the overwhelmingly female workforce at the heart of the system—are still waiting for the fair wage grid BC promised,” states the open letter.
The letter calls on the provincial government to take concrete steps to strengthen the system, including a fair wage grid for educators, sufficient operating funding for quality programs, and accelerating the creation of new licensed child care spaces.
The message has already gained national attention, including coverage on CBC News.
This initiative demonstrates the power of coordinated, public-facing advocacy and offers inspiration for advocates in other provinces and territories who are also calling on their respective governments, including the federal government, to strengthen the $10aDay national program.
If you live in BC, please write your MLA and help push for a quality $10aDay child care system