A plan that would use taxpayer money to cut parents’ day care costs from $1,000 a month to $10 a day is getting a cool reception from both of B.C.'s major political parties.

The BC Liberals and the provincial New Democrats say the plan’s $1.5 billion cost is too expensive – though they aren’t ruling out some steps to make it easier on parents.

“We’d like to go there but we have to do that in our financial means,” said NDP Leader Adrian Dix, adding that the federal government would have to chip in funds. “That’s going to be difficult in the short term given the opposition from the federal government."

And Mary McNeil, the Liberal Minister for Children and Family Development, said she wants to help – but the money isn’t there.

“We recognize that there are gaps between current policy on early learning and childcare and the needs of families,” she said in a statement.

“While this is a report with good ideas…we simply cannot put this burden on B.C. taxpayers in these tough economic times,” she added, estimating the actual cost of the program would be $2 billion a year.

Parents in Vancouver pay on average upwards of $1,000 for a day care space for a toddler in Vancouver, and the wait lists for some daycares can be years.

That means either would-be parents aren’t having kids – or parents who would otherwise be working and paying taxes are quitting to raise children for economic reasons, says Sharon Gregson of the Coalition of Child Care Advocates of B.C.

That burden means either party would benefit by solving the problem, Gregson said.

“A smart political party will make it an election issue,” she said. “They need to get young parents out to vote and this gives them something to vote for.”

The plan calls for $10 a day per child in a full-time day care spot, and $7 a day per child in a part-time spot. Families making less than $40,000 a year would not pay any money.

Gregson says the plan is similar to the situation in Quebec, where parents pay $7 a day.

The plan has been approved by a number of community groups and municipalities, including the Surrey Board of Trade and the City of Vancouver.

Vancouver City Councillor Andrea Reimer said providing daycare would allow parents to work, providing tax revenue to offset its cost.

“If people are not having children because of that economically we have people who could be working and contributing,” she said.

Reimer admitted the program would be a significant shift, but compared it to the decision in the mid-20th century to create kindergarten.

“At the time that was the argument. We can’t afford this as a society. Now we would think how can we not afford kindergarten,” she said.