Season 1, Episode 13

Like health care, child care is the purview of Canada’s provincial and territorial governments, which is why it’s a small miracle that the federal government has put together twelve separate deals with provinces and territories to provide $10-a-day daycare. (Quebec already had child care available for less than $10 a day.) 

For our May cover story, Sadiya Ansari wrote about moving abroad and noticing that people approach family planning differently when child care is less of a financial burden. In Germany, parents were legally guaranteed a subsidized child care spot in 2013, and this policy change has allowed the government to shift its focus from affordability to quality of care. Ansari is an award-winning writer and journalist based in Berlin.

Ansari talks about the difference it makes to a society when child care is a legal right, comparing living in Canada to living in Germany.

She then explains why people who don’t have children should still care about the child care system.

Ansari goes on to talk about how women are disproportionately affected by child care responsibilities and costs.

She then talks about her recent Article Club discussion and where she is hoping this conversation leads, speculating on the larger impacts of Canada’s new child care policy and whether politics will affect its staying power.

Ansari then shares what she is currently reading.

Finally, we check in on what we're talking about this week at The Walrus.

Child Care Revolution: What Canada Can Learn from Germany

• There Goes the Neighbourhood
• The Unpopularity of Female Politicians Has Everything to Do With Sexism

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Hosted and produced by Mihira Lakshman and Angela Misri, with editing by Angela Misri.

Music provided by Audio Jungle. Our theme song is “This Podcast Theme” by Inplus Music Additional music: “Stay Cool” by Loops Lab; “Podcast Intro” by Inplus Music; “Both of Us” by Madirfan; “Oh My” by Patrick Patrikios; “Young Ballad” by Serge Quadrado