Subsidized childcare as coercion or choice?

I see it as coercion and wrote about this for the Financial Post, here.

Canadians might assume family policies aim to help families. Certainly, in the last election campaign, “helping middle class families” was a phrase laid on thick — like BBQ sauce at a summer rib fest.

But any government policy can just as easily be a way to help government. And there appear to be strong notes of this in a recent federal Department of Finance briefing note called “The impact of childcare support on women’s labour force participation.” The note reveals a lot about how and why any government, and specifically this Liberal government, aims to “help families.” It may not be in the way families think.

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