Justin Trudeau and Doug Ford agree $10-a-day child care deal for Ontario parents is coming ‘soon’

It's the clearest signal yet that the Ontario government is finally set to sign a deal with Ottawa to deliver $10-a-day child care.

Standing together at the Honda Canada factory in Alliston on Wednesday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier Doug Ford emphasized they are on the same page.

I can tell you that the government of Canada and the Government of Ontario are working very hard and very well together. We hope to have announcements to make soon," said Trudeau.

The common ground that we've always shared is a desire to see costs lowered for hardworking families across Ontario and indeed across the country, and do the things that are going to help them get ahead," the prime minister said.

So from that place of alignment and agreement, we're working very hard," he said.

Ford, who has been maintaining for weeks that an accord was imminent, agreed that we're very, very close, as the prime minister said."

Our teams are working together on a daily basis and we'll have an announcement very, very soon," the premier said.

It's so important to make sure that we have affordable child care for all families right across Ontario," he said.

Ontario is the only province or territory that has yet to sign on to a federal funding plan that was Trudeau's signature campaign pledge in last September's election.

With Ford facing Ontario voters on June 2 - and this fiscal year ending in two weeks - there is pressure on his Progressive Conservatives to ink an agreement with the federal Liberals.

The opposition New Democrats, provincial Liberals, and Greens have repeatedly criticized the Tories for not following the rest of Canada.

Ottawa and Queen's Park have been in discussions for months about a plan that would give Ontario more than $10.2 billion to expand licensed non-profit child-care spaces.

The move is expected to cut average fees in half by the end of this year and could lead to $10-a-day care for parents by 2027.

But provincial officials have expressed concern about the future of the program after the five-year federal funding deal expires.

Sources say Ottawa has tried to allay those fears by proposing to either extend the length of the accord or to review funding before agreement ends.

Queen's Park is worried funding for the program could dwindle under a future federal government, leaving the province on the hook for a greater share.

Provincial officials point out that federal health transfer payments have declined from a 50-50 split decades ago to a 22 per cent share from Ottawa with the provinces footing the rest of the tab.

Further complicating things is the fact the federal Conservatives, who are now in the midst of a leadership contest, have promised to cancel the $30-billion program and instead give families up to $6,000 a year via a refundable tax credit instead.

Robert Benzie is the Star's Queen's Park bureau chief and a reporter covering Ontario politics. Follow him on Twitter: @robertbenzie