A Comprehensive Childcare Program – Four Views
             Last week Statistics Canada reported that children attending day-care performed better in the first years of school than children who did not attend any kind of preschool programmes. This highly publicized finding is particularly interesting looking at a potential government launch of a comprehensive childcare programme, which would allow more women to enter the workplace, ready preschool age children for public schools, and prepare Canada for the 21st century. This paper will examine the expected reactions of Friedman, Galbraith, Okun and Cobb and Cobb towards the child care proposal.
             Markets work well, so the government does not need to impose a childcare programme (which would be inefficient anyway, since governments fail to work well). The government needs to have a minimal paternalistic role in society. Special interest groups impose their agenda on the government, which in effect is ignorant to the negative implications on our laissez-faire marketplace, and by extension, our freedom. Since capitalism is a precondition to freedom, markets must remain decentralized (with minimal government involvement) and impersonal (so individuals are left to their own resources). Since markets dictate the labour market by supply and demand, government cannot impose programmes that interfere with voluntary decisions of mothers in acquiring skills and being productive. The provision of daycare falls into place as a neighbourhood effect, and a monopolistic government childcare programme is unnecessary. The programme would be more efficiently run in the marketplace, inc!
             luding both competition and privatization, and the provision of consumer choice.
             The childcare programme proposal is sound in its goals to ensure equality. In order to eliminate poverty, we must invest more in helping children from disadvantaged backgrounds. Social balance is a key issue. More investmen
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