The federal government has offered to renew the $10 per day childcare agreement for an additional five years, and Saskatchewan has yet to sign on.

NDP Critic for Childcare and Early Learning, Joan Pratchler, says Premier Scott Moe is only one of two Canadian premiers to leave this money on the table, the other being Alberta.

“There’s so much at stake if we don’t get this signed,” she explains.

Pratchler says if Saskatchewan doesn’t agree to sign on, parents will be paying more for childcare, there will be fewer childcare spaces available, and care centers across the province might close.

“We shouldn’t have to tell our own provincial government to help take care of the children, especially when the federal government is offering to pay for it!” she exclaimed.

The Saskatchewan NDP is calling on the province to sign the agreement before it’s too late, especially as parents and early childhood educators begin to panic.