The featured item in Finance Minister Carole James香蕉视频直播� budget for the coming year was not $10-a-day daycare, touted in the 2017 election and later downplayed by Premier John Horgan.
No, the banner item in James香蕉视频直播� second full budget was the 香蕉视频直播淐hild Opportunity Benefit,香蕉视频直播� a pumped-up version of the existing 香蕉视频直播淓arly Childhood Benefit香蕉视频直播� that provides provincial tax credits for kids up to age six. When the NDP version starts in 2020, it will continue until age 18.
It香蕉视频直播檚 not chump change. Eligible parents with one child get up to $28,800 over those 18 years. With two kids, it can reach $40,000.
It doesn香蕉视频直播檛 start until next year because it香蕉视频直播檚 tied in with the Canada Child Benefit, the marquee policy of the Justin Trudeau government. That program was actually started by Stephen Harper, but Trudeau made it his own by clawing back higher-income payments and boosting the low and middle income band.
It香蕉视频直播檚 run by the Canada Revenue Agency, which requires provinces to give a year香蕉视频直播檚 notice of changes. Government strategy is to get poor people connected to the tax system, which for them has turned into a negative income tax or welfare program.
The B.C. version starts to scale back the provincial tax benefit at an income of $25,000. Cue the shock and horror of the poverty industry that thrives in our cities, feeding the standard line to media that no matter how much money is thrown at poverty, it香蕉视频直播檚 not enough.
B.C.香蕉视频直播檚 income assistance rates are bumped up another $50 a month as well, across disability, single employable and family categories. This adds to the $100 a month Horgan and James added as soon as they were in office, after an unconscionably long time with no welfare increase under the B.C. Liberals.
Another instant media analysis you may have heard is that by embracing this costly child benefit, the NDP are turning their backs on $10-a-day licensed daycare. Not so, as James made clear to reporters. They香蕉视频直播檙e doing both, and more.
She reminded us that $1 billion was put in last year香蕉视频直播檚 budget for daycare. B.C. budgets are rolling three-year plans, so that香蕉视频直播檚 $366 million in the fiscal year starting in March, and $473 million in 2021 as programs expand. This year香蕉视频直播檚 budget adds another $300 million, for a total commitment of $1.3 billion.
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These numbers include the current pilot program for 香蕉视频直播渦niversal香蕉视频直播� daycare, running in 53 selected B.C.communities until spring 2020. B.C. has so many child care programs now it香蕉视频直播檚 difficult to keep them sorted out, but James香蕉视频直播� budget figures also include the addition of 3,800 new daycare spaces and replacing the former 香蕉视频直播淐hild Care Subsidy香蕉视频直播� direct to daycares with B.C.香蕉视频直播檚 香蕉视频直播淎ffordable Child Care Benefit香蕉视频直播� last fall.
That benefit is an increased subsidy to qualifying daycares to lower the fees they charge to parents to $350 a month per child. It香蕉视频直播檚 almost fully subscribed now.
Still with me? The 香蕉视频直播渦niversal daycare香蕉视频直播� pilot is not, strictly speaking, $10-a-day daycare, although some lucky parents are getting it for $200 a month. As the NDP was raising taxes to pay for this nanny-state juggernaut, Horgan waved off questions about his daily repeated $10-a-day campaign speech, saying that was just another slogan copied from the B.C. Federation of Labour.
In fact, the B.C. daycare pilot spaces are 香蕉视频直播渇ree香蕉视频直播� to eligible families with pre-tax income less than $45,000. Qualifying families with income up to $111,000 are paying less than $10 a day.
Tom Fletcher is B.C. legislature reporter and columnist for Black Press Media. Email: tfletcher@blackpress.ca
tfletcher@blackpress.ca
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