MONTREAL, May 13, 2024
/CNW/ - Every child deserves the best start in life.
That's why, today in Montreal,
the Honourable Pablo Rodriguez, Minister of Transport and
Quebec lieutenant, and the
Honourable Martinez Ferrada, Minister of Tourism and Minister
responsible for the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec, announced $123
million over four years, with $82
million through 2025-2026, to help build more inclusive
child care spaces across Quebec through the Government of Canada's $625
million Early Learning and Child Care Infrastructure Fund.
This investment will help Quebec
reach the shared goal of building 30,000 new child care spaces by
2026. The funding announced today builds on previous investments
made under the asymmetrical agreement between the governments of
Canada and Quebec on early learning and child care.
Funding from the Government of Canada will enable Quebec to support its priorities in terms of
early childhood education and care, and measures to improve
inclusiveness.
Across Canada, over 750,000
kids are already benefiting from affordable, high-quality child
care, with some families saving up to $14,300 per child, per year. Alongside provinces
and territories, the Government of Canada has also announced over 100,000 new
spaces, well on the way to reaching the goal of creating 250,000
new spaces by March 2026.
Investing in affordable child care is about helping more
families save thousands of dollars on child care and ensuring that
every child has the best start in life. The measures highlighted
above complement what the Government of Canada is doing in Budget 2024 to build a
fairer Canada for every
generation. The Government of Canada is building more homes, strengthening
public health care, making life cost less, and growing the economy
in a way that is shared by all—to make sure every generation has a
fair chance at building a good middle-class life.
Quotes
"Young families who don't yet have access to affordable child
care spaces can pay unregulated child care fees that are the
equivalent of a rent or mortgage payment. This is unfair to parents
of young children, especially Millennial and Gen Z parents, who
need the help that comes with affordable child care. This agreement
will provide thousands more Quebec
families with affordable, regulated child care and will help
Quebec strengthen a system that
already inspires the country. It's a system that promotes women's
participation in the workforce, creates jobs and gives children a
good start in life. Thank you to the feminists of Quebec who have shown the way for the rest of
Canada."
– The Honourable Chrystia Freeland, Deputy Prime Minister and
Minister of Finance
"Quebec has been a pioneer in
early learning and child care in Canada, and this new funding will be part of
an asymmetrical agreement with the province of Quebec that will enable the province to
further improve its child care network. This agreement will support
Quebec's priorities for early
childhood education and care, and its measures to improve
inclusiveness. All families should have access to high-quality,
inclusive early learning and child care services. More spaces means
more children can benefit. The Government of Canada remains committed to work with the
Government of Quebec to give
children the best possible start in life."
– The Honourable Jenna Sudds, Minister of Families, Children and
Social Development
"Quebec is truly a pioneer in
childcare services. By investing to support Quebec's efforts to make these services even
more accessible, we're making life easier for Quebec families. We continue to deliver for
Quebecers by taking concrete action that makes a real
difference."
– The Honourable Pablo Rodriguez, Minister of Transport
"We've done more than any government in a generation to expand
Canada's social safety net,
including investments in early learning and child care. Today's
announcement will help more children in Quebec getting the best possible start in
life, while ensuring that more families - especially young mothers
- can participate fully in the labour market. It will help build a
fairer society for all, and I look forward to seeing the difference
it will make in the years to come."
– The Honourable Soraya Martinez Ferrada, Minister of Tourism and
Minister responsible for the Economic Development Agency of
Canada for the Regions of
Quebec
"The educational child care network in Quebec is an example worldwide. It is a source
of national pride and a model to follow—as much for its educational
quality as for its flexibility. I'm glad that the Quebec government has made an agreement
without conditions. Our objective is to continue developing a
strong network for our very young children."
– Ministre de la Famille, Suzanne
Roy
Quick Facts
- As part of Budget 2021, the Government of Canada made a transformative investment of
more than $27 billion over five years
to build a Canada-wide early
learning and child care system with provinces, territories and
Indigenous partners.
- Combined with investments since 2016, including investments in
Indigenous early learning and child care, the federal government
has announced investments of nearly $40
billion in early learning and child care.
- To date, eight provinces and territories are delivering
regulated child care for an average of $10-a-day or less, including Quebec and the Yukon, which achieved this prior to the
Canada-wide system. In all other
provinces and territories, fees for regulated child care have been
reduced by at least 50% on average. Provinces and territories are
working toward lowering fees for regulated child care to
$10-a-day on average by March 2026.
- Canada-wide early learning and
child care is saving families, per child, up to $6,000 in Nova
Scotia, $13,700 a year in
Alberta, $8,500 in Ontario, $6,900
in Saskatchewan, $6,600 in British
Columbia, $6,300 in
Newfoundland and Labrador, $4,170
in Prince Edward Island,
$3,600 in New Brunswick, $2,610 in Manitoba, $7,300
in the Yukon, $9,120 in the Northwest
Territories, and $14,300
in Nunavut.
- As part of the Canada-wide
early learning and child care system, the Government of
Canada is working with provinces
and territories to create 250,000 new child care spaces across the
country by March 2026 to increase
access to affordable child care options for families, no matter
where they live.
- To support this goal, the federal government previously
announced the Early Learning and Child Care Infrastructure
Fund. The Fund provides an additional $625
million to provinces and territories to support
infrastructure projects for not-for-profit child care spaces in
underserved communities, such as rural and remote regions,
high-cost and low-income urban neighbourhoods, and communities that
face barriers to access, including racialized groups, Indigenous
Peoples, official language minority communities, newcomers, as well
as parents, caregivers, and children with disabilities.
- To further accelerate progress, Budget 2024 announced a new
$1 billion Child Care Expansion Loan
Program, to help public and not-for-profit child care providers to
build more child care spaces and renovate their existing child care
centres.
- To give every child the best start in life, the federal
government is also:
- Giving families more money through the Canada Child Benefit to
help with the costs of raising their children and to make a real
difference in the lives of children in Canada. The Canada Child Benefit, which
provides up to $7,437 per child per
year, is indexed annually to keep up with the cost of living and
has helped lift half a million children out of poverty since its
launch in 2016.
- Improving access to dental health care for children under the
age of 12 through the Canada Dental Benefit, and soon for children
under 18 with the Canadian Dental Care Plan, because no one should
have to choose between taking care of their kids' teeth and putting
food on the table.
- Creating a National School Food Program to ensure that every
child has the best start in life, with the food they need to learn
and grow, no matter their circumstances.
- Supporting after-school learning with an investment of
$67.5 million to help all Canadian
students reach their full potential. After-school learning and
supports play an important role in helping students succeed in
their academic pursuits, especially for at-risk students.
Associated links
Toward $10-a-Day: Early Learning
and Child Care
Federal Secretariat on Early Learning and Child Care
Multilateral Early Learning and Child Care Framework
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SOURCE Employment and Social Development Canada