i don't have kids and don't really care about fiscal restraint, so i'd never vote on this and ultimately don't care. but, i think you ought to look at each of these plans as short term in order to really understand them.

first, the ndp are probably not going to actually carry through with what they're promising. the liberals promised this for...as long as i can remember, anyways. it never happened. it's a function of the size and complexity of the country. cost of living varies drastically. this will be the first thing they bail on, and they'll probably stick with what currently exists - and then slowly scale it back. ndp governments tend to be very, very fiscally conservative. in the long run, i would expect them to phase this out entirely and leave people with nothing. shocked? well, that's what the ndp does

second, the conservatives are using it as a vote-buying scheme and social engineering tactic and will continue to modify it for those purposes. if they can change certain aspects to hone in on their voting base, they will. expect them to add further aspects to target key voting demographics, and remove parts to punish demographics that don't vote for them. also expect them to continue playing with it in a way that incentivizes the traditional arrangements of the nuclear family. it's not enough to pay for child care; it's a baby bonus. that's how these guys tick.

third, the liberal plan is something they're viewing as a necessary evil. they can hardly stand up and claim they want to scrap it. so, they'll try and make it a smarter plan by distributing it better using the principles of progressive taxation. if we must have childcare subsidies, this is very consistent with how liberals would do such a thing. but must we have this? would we not be better off finding ways to raise incomes, or finding ways to get people to work more at home? for now, they're fixing it. and, the fix is an improvement. but, the long term aim will be to replace government dependence with financial independence.

www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canada-election-2015-comparing-the-major-parties-on-child-care-promises-1.3201117