The price varies from province to province, but there's one common factor: demand is greater than the supply.

John Horgan and the B.C. NDP's proposal for universal $10-a-day child care is sensible, fully costed and will provide immediate relief for parents. We also know that providing quality early learning experiences for our children has incredible benefits to them, the school system and communities.

Extending maternity/parental leave to 18 months doesn't actually solve the problem. It's a ninja turtle Band-Aid that looks cool and will make us feel better until it's peeled off and we are faced with the same bloody daycare crisis. In 2008 UNICEF declared Canada tied for the worst child care out of the world's 25 richest countries. Since then costs have only gone up and access has only gone down. There are available spaces for only one out of every five Canadian kids. It's clearly high time for Canada to build on Quebec's lead and develop a universal child care program that extends across the country just like universal health care, social security and education already do.

This is why people hate politicians. No, not Trudeau. The Conservatives using this nannygate non-scandal against him as a cheap political ploy to puncture his post-election popularity. The accusation of hypocrisy over government-paid nannies to help with the Prime Minister's three young children feels petty and penny-ante. But as a parent, it's also incredibly insulting because of what it reveals about the lack of value and importance that these people put in childcare.