Thread by @pancholi_rakhi

The UCP are going to sign a deal with the feds for child care. They have to. They desperately need a good news story.

But they'll do it in spite of every ideological & political instinct they have. Because they've never believed in universal affordable child care. 🧵#ableg

From the moment they were elected, the UCP focused on ending the $25/day pilot program we introduced. They didn't once consider expanding it to all licensed programs as we'd planned. This would have addressed their main critique that not enough families had access to it.

But the UCP went further and also completely hid and misrepresented the results of the review of the $25/day pilot program, which was *overwhelmingly* positive. open.alberta.ca/dataset/fab44a…

Minister @rebeccakschulz also treated the programs & families who participated in the pilot program with disdain, refused to meet with many of them & targeted them for funding claw-backs. All while continuing to cut funding, quality standards & supports for the sector as a whole.

Then when the opportunity from the federal govt for a transformational investment in universal affordable quality child care in Alberta came around, @jkenney & @rebeccakschulz played ridiculous political games, once again lying about the terms of the deal, stalling & posturing.

The irony, of course, is if the UCP had shown the committment to affordable child care we demonstrated and kept & expanded the $25/day child care program, they may have been able to get the greater flexibility in how to use the federal funding they claimed they deserved. #ableg

But while this is all business as usual for the UCP, it has very real & significant impacts on Alberta families, Albertans who run and work in child care, Alberta children & the Alberta economy.

That's why Albertans have used their voices loudly to demand the UCP sign the deal.

So when the UCP finally announce they have a deal, Albertans deserve all the credit.

It's because YOU demanded that Alberta families & our economy deserve and need universal affordable quality child care.

The UCP has never believed in it, but Albertans do.

Take the credit, Alberta.

You deserve it.

And so much more.

#SigntheAgreement #ableg #abpoli