Thread by @RachelNotley

So… be warned. Small rant incoming. Settle in. It’s about economic growth, equity, and investing in our future with the greatest (and most obvious) wisdom possible.
#ableg #abfuture 1/17

It’s about childcare and Jason Kenney’s deeply ideological and also… stupid… betrayal of young families in Alberta.. and the economic growth upon which we are all pinning our hopes. #ableg #abfuture 2/17

Here’s the thing… more and more economists around the world agree that childcare is the single best way for a government to grow its economy (on dollar for dollar return on investment basis.. for all the bean counters among you 😉). #ableg #abfuture 3/17

In addition, quality childcare can make a critical difference in the outcomes for our children. And that’s important because some studies suggest that Alberta preschoolers have some of the lowest school readiness scores in all of Canada. #ableg #abfuture 4/17

Yet Alberta’s greatest resource comes not from what’s under the ground (although that’s a big help), but really, it comes from what’s walking above it. #ableg #abfuture 5/17

We are currently the youngest and best educated province in the country. Put another way, young, thoughtful, optimistic, caring and entrepreneurial people are the reason behind Alberta’s success. #ableg #abfuture 6/17

But with the many challenges facing our economy now, we must find a way to not only keep them here, but also keep them coming here. #ableg #abfuture 7/17

Everything Jason Kenney has done has been designed to discourage this. Attacks on doctors, nurses and expert frontline health providers, generational clawbacks on what was once a continent-leading post-secondary system... #ableg #abfuture 8/17

...disconnected and old-timey rewrites to our curriculum that undermine public trust — locally and internationally — in the quality of our public education… all these things drive people away from our province. #ableg #abfuture 9/17

But the biggest betrayal to Alberta’s young families, and through them, to the economy, is Jason Kenney’s ideological, politicized and personally motivated vendetta against moving quickly on affordable universal quality accessible chIldcare. #ableg #abfuture 10/17

To be clear, Alberta’s NDP released a childcare proposal last October that would have built off our original pilot projects in childcare — albertasfuture.ca/albertas-futur… #ableg #abfuture 11/17

We committed to this project and also called on the provincial government of the day to do the same. We also knew is it is a fundamental foundation to Alberta’s much-needed economic recovery. #ableg #abfuture 12/17

Instead of moving forward with our plan, Jason Kenney cancelled it. Instead of taking our updated advice, Jason Kenney ignored it. #ableg #abfuture 13/17

And now, with the federal government offering to pay 50 percent of the cost, Jason Kenney’s personal political rigidity and inability to understand the experience of young families, now means we have not only lost an opportunity for growth — edmontonjournal.com/news/politics/… #ableg 14/17

We are now behind 8 other jurisdictions in the country, even Jason Kenney's buddy Scott Moe parked his ego to get a deal signed for Saskatchewan — cbc.ca/news/canada/sa… #ableg #abfuture 15/17

And they will have the advantage when it comes to attracting the provinces’ economic future.

I’m truly tired of watching Jason Kenney create so many problems to clean up after. #ableg #abfuture 16/17

On this one: @jkenney do the right thing. Sign up for the billion-dollars-per-year of federal funding for affordable quality accessible childcare that Albertans — all Albertans — need. #ableg #abfuture 17/17