Thread by @pancholi_rakhi

A silver lining of the pandemic has been the consensus around child care as sound economic policy.

Of course, this wasn't news to many. There's no greater barrier to women's workforce participation than lack of child care.

But now everyone was talking about it. 🧵#ableg

Back in the early days of the pandemic, @ArmineYalnizyan talked about the "she-cession" effect and that child care was key for economic recovery. Many other noted Cdn economists shared this call for child care to be at the forefront of recovery.

cbc.ca/radio/thecurre…

Too many names to list, but I began following many who were regularly talking about this like @JenniferRobson8, @tammyschirle, @LindsayTedds, @mikalskuterud. Even noted conservative economist @KenBoessenkool was talking about prioritizing child care.

cdhowe.org/intelligence-m…

But it's not just economists. It's leading financial institutions who are highlighting over and over the important role child care plays in getting women back to work.

RBC: thoughtleadership.rbc.com/pandemic-threa…

Scotiabank:

scotiabank.com/ca/en/about/ec…

Bank of Canada:

globalnews.ca/news/7657547/b…

AIMCO's Chair @MarkDWiseman spoke about the economic case for child care:

https://twitter.com/MarkDWiseman/status/1355215022033657860?s=20

The Feminist Recovery Plan from @YWCA_Canada highlighted child care as critical to an equitable recovery to ensure women aren't left behind:

feministrecovery.ca

Closer to home, the @EdmontonChamber noted affordable child care as part of their recommendations for economic recovery.

edmontonchamber.com/policy/forging…

As did the @CalgaryChamber:

calgarychamber.com/influenceq4-ch…

And more importantly than any of these voices is the overwhelming call from Alberta women, working parents, child care providers & educators that affordable quality accessible child care is desperately now more than ever. My inbox is filled with these messages. #ableg

So imagine my surprise when I saw the UCP's 2021 Budget fails to allocate even $1 more to child care this year. In fact, the Budget is actually smaller than last year's. There are millions more for other so-called economic recovery initiatives. But $0 more for child care. #ableg

And let's not forget the UCP blew 1/4 of their entire 2020 budget for child care on a one-time payment to some parents to cover 2 weeks worth of child care that won't do one thing to make child care more affordable the next month. #ableg

edmontonjournal.com/news/politics/…

By ending $25/day child care, failing to invest in the system properly during the pandemic & w/ fees going up across the province, the UCP have actually made child care more expensive for all AB parents. At a time when the world is calling for govts to make it more affordable.

I don't know if the @jkenney's blindspot is ideology or women or evidence or all of the above. But this is not a Budget for economic recovery. This is not a plan to get Alberta parents back to work. #ableg

Here's a real plan. albertasfuture.ca/albertas-futur…