Ottawa should send cash, leave childcare to provinces: business lobby group

Business group urges Ottawa to limit its child care role to providing money and let provinces take the lead on standards and delivery. Provinces are unlikely to agree to national standards, argues the C.D. Howe institute report.

The Canadian Press

OTTAWA — A new report is urging the Trudeau Liberals to embrace "aggressive incrementalism" on their promised path toward a national child-care system, arguing the government should quickly build on what's already there rather than push wholesale change.

The paper from the C.D. Howe Institute suggests that trying to redo how child care is delivered in Canada by moving responsibility to Ottawa from the provinces appears unlikely to succeed.

Provinces aren't likely to agree to national standards, the authors write, pointing to recent federal efforts on child care.

The think-tank's report says the federal government should bundle funding for child care into an annual transfer payment similar to one it already provides to help provinces cover the cost of health care.

The report's authors say the money should focus first on expanding the supply of licensed child-care spaces.

The authors add that any federal moves need to be aimed at quickly building up child-care services nationally because the status quo is not sustainable.

Ottawa should send cash, leave childcare to provinces: business lobby group

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