The future is looking bright! In April 2021, the Government of Canada announced a historic $30 billion investment over five years to build a high-quality, affordable and accessible early learning and child care (ELCC) system across Canada. With the Budget Implementation Act (Bill C-30) now passed, the federal government has turned its attention to negotiating bilateral agreements that will support the unique needs of each province and territory.

At this time, the government has reached five-year agreements with British Columbia, Manitoba, the Yukon, Quebec, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador. While there are unique elements to each of the agreements, each expands early childhood education opportunities for young children in their respective regions. Specifically, the agreements reduce the costs of child care fees by 50 per cent by 2022 and ensure that nationwide fees are an average of $10 per day for each child by 2026. They also provide at least 59{f4dab0c5032d4eb8d4f7ec2b6ecedf5f16cf8076f5e4fcfc5a07df85a146a352} coverage for kids 0-5 years, include additional workforce supports, and call for the creation of an implementation oversight body.

With two of Canada’s western provinces and the Yukon having come to agreements with the federal government, we’ve provided a round-up of key facts and interesting news updates below.

Provincial/Territorial Updates

Manitoba

This week, Families, Children and Social Development Minister Ahmed Hussen joined Manitoba Families Minister Rochelle Squires to reveal a $1.2 billion agreement to support Manitoba families. The deal, announced on August 9,  will help increase affordability and access to early childhood education opportunities. It will:

  • Build 23,000 new full-time regulated care spaces by the end of 2025–2026 for children 0 – up to six years of age. These spaces will be created in not-for-profit, public ELCC providers/operations, as well as in family-based child care;
  • Support an average of $10 a day for regulated ELCC spaces in the province by 2023;
  • Establish of a new wage grid to support the development of a strong and skilled workforce of early childhood educators. The province will also modernize certification requirements and implement a wage floor for different positions and classifications;
  • Create 1,700 extended hour spaces for families requiring child care in the evening and on weekends, including guaranteed spaces for children whose parents are transitioning into regular employment; and
  • Prioritize inclusivity to ensure that all families have access to integrated and culturally responsive services no matter where they live in the province.

Minister Squires noted that the agreement will help meet “the specific needs and circumstances of Manitoba working families” and touted the government’s previous work increasing spaces and improving access for low-income families. To read more about Manitoba’s new ELCC agreement, click here.

British Columbia

On July 8, Premier John Horgan and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a $3.2 billion bilateral agreement over the next five years that will help British Columbia improve regulated ELCC for children under the age of six. Though many details are still being finalized, the announcement included:

  • The creation of 30,000 new regulated ELCC spaces children under the age of six within five years and 40,000 spaces within seven years. It is anticipated these will be long-term and run by public and non-profit institutions;
  • New funding for the development and implementation of evidence-based quality frameworks, standards, and tools for early learning and child care;
  • Support for early childhood educators, including the development of a new wage grid; and
  • An overall 50 per cent reduction in parent fees for children under the age of six in regulated ELCC with the goal of achieving an average parent fee of $10 per day for all regulated spaces by the end of the five-year agreement.

Both governments are expected to create a formal implementation committee that will monitor progress and work with stakeholders in the sector. The Trudeau government indicated that it will be represented on this committee by the Federal Secretariat on Early Learning and Child Care.

If you’d like to learn more about the Canada-British Columbia Canada-Wide ELCC Agreement click here.

Yukon

Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland and Minister Ahmed Hussen announced an agreement with Yukon Premier Sandy Silver on July 23 that included $41.6 million to rapidly expand access to ELCC programs and services. The agreement builds on a previous announcement made by the territorial government to introduce a universal early learning and child care system in the region. The agreement included an average $10 per day commitment for children under the age of six and also committed to:

  • Creating of 110 newly regulated ELCC spaces for children under six years of age within five years;
  • Providing new funding to attract, retain and grow a skilled workforce of early childhood educators as well as funding to create more opportunities for professional development; and
  • Supporting the ongoing implementation of a nearly $30/hour minimum wage for fully certified early childhood educators.

Importantly, this new federal funding is being used exclusively to support the creation of spaces at not-for-profit, public ELCC and family-based providers. An implementation committee will be created in partnership with both governments to ensure progress is being made on these important commitments. For more information on the Yukon’s new agreement, click here.