B.C. NDP leader David Eby said on the campaign trail that his child already attended a daycare before it was designated $10-a-day, and that his family later donated the difference to the provider.
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B.C. NDP leader David Eby defended his family’s use of the province’s $10-a-day childcare program, saying one of his children was already in the daycare before it was designated as $10-a-day. The comments came after Eby revealed over the weekend that his family had benefited from the program, which he said was started by his predecessor John Horgan in partnership with the federal government under former prime minister Justin Trudeau.
Eby’s government announced a three-year pause on expanding the program this past spring, amid continued demand for affordable childcare across B.C. Advocates say B.C. remains the most expensive province for child care, with many parents paying between $40 and $100 a day, and that only 10 per cent of B.C. childcare spaces are dedicated as $10 a day.
When asked on Tuesday morning, Eby said his family “donated the difference” to the childcare provider so that other families in the area could benefit. “My focus is to make sure British Columbians benefit from affordable child care,” Eby said, adding that his government put the program into an agreement with the federal government and is also expanding before- and after-school care.
In a Monday statement, the B.C. Conservatives did not say they would cut the program, but said Eby’s admission was “shocking.” Margareta Dovgal, a Conservative Party of B.C. candidate for Vancouver-Yaletown, said in the statement that “Nobody begrudges David Eby and his wife for their success,” but argued that families “will not accept” a premier who took a scarce spot while a single parent working two jobs remains on a waitlist.
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