Due to long waitlists and high costs, finding reliable child care can be a major issue for many Manitoba families.

When new mother Jessica Jamieson first told her friends and family, some of their reactions caught her off-guard.

"Have you put your name on the list? Have you found daycare yet? And that was a little overwhelming for a first time mom,” said Jamieson.

The federal New Democrats said if elected next year, they will institute a $15-per-day national child-care program.

They said it will take eight years to fully implement and will eventually support a million child-care spaces across the country.

"The average monthly child care for Manitoba is $640,” said Winnipeg Centre NDP MP Pat Martin. “That's an average - a lot of people spend more."

The Conservatives said the $5 billion annual price tag for the plan that Thomas Mulcair announced Tuesday makes it unfeasible.

"Mr. Mulcair's plan is a one-size-fits all and it comes at a huge cost. It's a very big, big ticket item,” said Portage-Lisgar MP Candice Bergen.

The NDP counters that the economic benefit of helping more parents return to the workforce outweighs the programs costs.

Thousands of Manitoba families sit on wait-lists and many are unable to secure child-care spots until their children reach at least two years of age.

"Wait-lists are long, especially for infant spots. New moms have a lot of stress,” said Jennifer Hiebert of Harstone Children’s Centre in Winnipeg’s West End.

As Jamieson’s daughter Kayley approaches her first birthday, and the new mom gets ready to return to work, the family still hasn’t secured a daycare spot.

"We would have had to be on the list before we even got pregnant in order to have a spot for Kayley at the end of the year when I was ready to go back to work,” said Jamieson.

The family has looked into home daycares but worries about the workplace standards.

They have also contacted private facilities, some of which charge up to $1,400 per month.

"If I'm going back to work just to pay for child care than why am I going back to work?” asked Jamieson. “It's very hard to grasp that concept."

For now the family continues to research their options and hopes to find a spot for their daughter in a licensed facility at an affordable rate.