Eby Defends Using $10-a-Day Child Care, Becoming First British Columbian to Confirm the Programme Has Actual Spaces
VICTORIA. B.C. Premier David Eby spent Tuesday defending his family's enrolment in the province's $10-a-day child-care programme. Critics call it a conflict of interest. Thousands of parents call it the first official proof that a space exists.
"We had always assumed the spaces were like the provincial bird," said one Burnaby mother who has been on four waitlists since her son was a theory. "You hear about them. You've seen a drawing. Nobody you know has seen one in person."
The opposition argues that a premier should not benefit from a programme his own government funds. Supporters reply that a premier who refused to use it would be admitting it doesn't work, which is the opposition's other argument. Both positions were presented at the same press conference, sometimes by the same MLA.
Policy analysts note that this is a very Canadian scandal. Nobody is accused of taking a bribe, a yacht, or a cheque in a paper bag. The accusation is that a public official took part in a public service at the advertised price, which some voters found deeply suspicious.
Eby's office stressed that the family applied through normal channels and followed the rules. Asked how long they waited, a spokesperson said the matter was private but offered reassurance that the centre had "a lovely colour scheme."
The Ministry of Education and Child Care has since received 11,000 calls from parents asking which centre the premier uses. They don't want to complain. They want to know whether it has a second opening.
The ministry confirmed it does. The waitlist is expected to clear around the time the child starts university.