EXCERPTS
For Canadian families, high-quality, affordable child care is more than a convenience—it is a necessity.
Today, the Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, and the Honourable Maryam Monsef, Minister for Women and Gender Equality, delivered remarks at the Early Learning and Child Care Data and Research Conference. The Conference brought together over 100 participants from across the country and oversees. The Ministers highlighted a number of issues, including accomplishments made by the Government of Canada in early learning and child care and other supports for families, and the importance of addressing data gaps in this area moving forward.
The Conference served to identify data and research gaps, and discuss the best mechanisms to close these gaps. The Conference will also help inform where the Government of Canada should focus its efforts in the development of an Early Learning and Child Care Data and Research Strategy.
The Government of Canada is investing $7.5 billion over 11 years, starting in 2017–18, to increase support for early learning and child care. This includes investments of $95 million to close the data gaps, to better understand child care challenges and needs in Canada and to track progress.
Quotes
“If we want the middle class to grow and succeed, we need to ensure every child in Canada has the opportunity to reach their full potential. Investments in early learning and child care better support children getting the best start in life. It’s by opening dialogue that we will find solutions to filling data and research gaps in early learning and child care.”
– The Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development
“Our government is growing the middle class by providing greater support to Canadian families. We are doing this with a strengthened Canada Child Benefit, the creation of new affordable, high-quality child care spaces, more flexible parental leave options, and the introduction of a parental sharing benefit to encourage a more equitable distribution of child care in the home. Investing in our children during their earliest years is critical to ensuring that every child in Canada can reach their full potential.”
– The Honourable Maryam Monsef, Minister for Women and Gender Equality
Quick facts
- Important investments in early learning and child care will create up to 40,000 more affordable child care spaces across the country by March 2020.
- The Multilateral Early Learning and Child Care Framework, announced on June 12, 2017, sets the foundation for Canadian governments to work towards a shared long-term vision where all children across Canada can experience the enriching environment of quality early learning and child care.
- To better support Canadian families, especially those in need, Budgets 2016 and 2017 announced an investment of $7.5 billion over 11 years, starting in 2017–18, to support and create more high-quality, affordable child care across the country. Of this investment:
- $1.7 billion over 10 years, starting in 2018–19, will support the Indigenous Early Learning and Child Care Framework, and will strengthen early learning and child care programs and services for Indigenous children and families;
- $95 million will go towards closing data gaps to better understand child care challenges and needs and track progress; and
- $100 million will go towards early learning and child care innovation.