Campaigns target families

As the first week of the federal election campaign comes to a close, campaigns have targeted families with promises championed by local candidates in the South Okanagan West Kootenay.

Liberal candidate Connie Denesiuk talked Monday about $535 million promised to create 250,000 new childcare spaces across Canada, nearly doubling Ottawa’s spending on the program. 

“When our children do well, they’ll continue to do well through school when they are well supported in their preschool years. This is of critical importance to our society,” she said.

Castanet News reporting has shown the root cause of the childcare shortage in the South Okanagan is a lack of early childhood educators. There are funded spaces in Penticton, but nobody to work them.

While the Liberal promise doesn’t address the shortage of daycare staff in the region, Denesiuk says the funds will also expand after-school programming at schools. 

“Ten per cent of these new spaces go beyond the normal, maybe eight to six time frame,” she said, explaining those with irregular working hours need childcare as well. 

Conservative Party leader Andrew Scheer was in Lake Country Monday, where he announced new tax credits for children’s arts and fitness programs. 

“It will allow parents to claim up to $1,000 per child, per year, for fitness and sports related expenses, we’ll make that credit refundable,” he told reporters. 

A $500 credit is also being pitched for arts and education opportunities. Similar credits were offered by the Harper government, but were phased out by Trudeau when he brought in the Canada Child Benefit.

Former Penticton city councillor Helena Konanz is running for the Conservatives in the South Okanagan-West Kootenay

Local NDP incumbent Richard Cannings held a campaign office open house Monday in Penticton, where he pointed to his party’s promise to spend $1 billion on childcare in 2020.

“We have the Waitlisted Project that was started here in Penticton by a local mother who couldn’t get back to work because her child couldn’t get into daycare,” Cannings said.

He said the billion dollar investment would start building spaces “so that every Canadian family can have the childcare they need.”

The federal Green Party released its platform Monday — which matches the NDP’s billion dollar spending promise — in an effort to work towards universal public child care. Rossland resident Tara Howse is running for the Greens locally. 

The People’s Party of Canada platform makes no mention of childcare.