NDP ad promotes child care plan, Mulcair as father, grandfather

OTTAWA – Federal New Democrats are bringing out a new ad that gives glimpses into Tom Mulcair’s personal life.

The online ad is ostensibly aimed at promoting the party’s $15-a-day national child care plan.

But in the process, it showcases the NDP leader as a father and grandfather who understands the struggles middle-class families face in raising their children.

The ad features snapshots and grainy video footage of a much younger Mulcair cradling one of his infant sons, snuggling with his wife and playing with his kids.

A smiling, casually dressed Mulcair says these early years weren’t easy and he and his wife worked hard to give their children a good start in life.

And he proclaims that being a dad is the best job he’s ever had.

Mulcair also emphasizes his governing experience, saying that as a Quebec cabinet minister he saw first-hand how investing in day care helps both families and the economy.

He proposes to create one million child care spaces which parents could access for no more than $15 a day.

The spaces would be created over eight years, with the annual cost to the federal treasury rising to $5 billion a year when fully implemented.