The President of the Canadian Union of Public Employees, Alberta Division (CUPE Alberta) is congratulating the Notley government for establishing 1,000 public child care spaces.
“Working people need quality, affordable childcare options,” said Marle Roberts. “At $25 per day for licenced care, the NDP is making this affordable for a wide range of parents.”
Roberts noted that the pilot project mirrors programs in Manitoba and Quebec and urged the government to move as quickly as possible to expand the program.
“What I really like is the fact the government is recognizing the need for child care that caters to rural residents, shift workers and others who can’t access child care on a 9 to 5 basis,” said Roberts.
Roberts said CUPE has pushed for better public child care options in Alberta for decades, and while the program announced this week was just a start, it moved in the right direction.
“We know the economy isn’t great right now and there’s not a lot of money,” said Roberts. “But there are 1,000 more spaces than last week. This is something to build on.”
“Public child care works. It helps educational outcomes and increases the productivity of the economy. CUPE Alberta is happy and proud to support this project.”