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Dear Federal, Provincial and Territorial Forum of Ministers Most Responsible for Early Learning and Child Care,
The federal, provincial and territorial investments in licensed child care since the inception of the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care system in 2021 have generated significant economic activity, giving rise to major returns including an important increase in women’s labour force participation.
Parents have described the program as “life-changing”: the supply of licensed programs has grown, and lower parent fees have made life more affordable for many, amidst ongoing inflation. Most provinces and territories have made initial investments in compensation for the female-dominated child care workforce to encourage recruitment and retention.
However, much remains to be done to ensure the ambitious program meets the social and economic objectives.
To continue and build on the admirable and measurable progress achieved to date, it is crucial that at your upcoming ministerial meetings your governments each commit to expanding and strengthening the $10aDay child care system so that in time all young children have the opportunity to benefit from high quality, inclusive programs.
We ask that you agree to strengthen the program using the best available evidence by:
- Increasing public funding to meet the real cost of operating high-quality programs and to expand the availability of licensed child care under the $10aDay child care system;
- Building a primarily non-profit and public system of child care so that public investments advance high quality, equitable services, not profit-making;
- Achieving a maximum parent fee of $10aDay with further fee reductions for low income families;
- Investing in the early learning and child care workforce to attract and retain qualified educators;
- Developing and implementing concrete, proactive child care expansion plans with emphasis on making access more equitable;
- Publicly and promptly sharing the text of your child care agreements, associated action plans and results.
Importantly, we call on you to fully fund and support implementation of the Indigenous Early Learning and Child Care Frameworks.
We applaud you for your early leadership with respect to early learning and child care and we call on you to remain committed to fully implementing the $10aDay child care program.
As other countries have learned, developing a universal child care system is a complex project that requires governments and community to collaborate guided by evidence. For Canada, doing this right will make it a transformative, generational project that will enhance individual and collective economic security across Canada, providing essential social infrastructure for all other nation-building projects.
Sincerely,
Morna Ballantyne, Executive Director
Child Care Now
Erin Cullen, Founder
ABCs and ECEs Newfoundland and Labrador
Dr. Teale N. Phelps Bondaroff, Chair and co-founder
AccessBC Campaign
Fred Chabot, Executive Director
Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights
Julie Spencer, Executive Director
Alberni Valley Childcare Society
Cori Longo, Secretary Treasurer
Alberta Federation of Labour
Kim Hiscott, CEO
Andrew Fleck Children's Services
Skye Taylor, Executive Director
Association of Early Childhood Educators of Newfoundland and Labrador
Amber Straker, Executive Director
Association of Early Childhood Educators Ontario
Liz Lougheed Green, CEO
Association of Neighbourhood Houses of BC
Dr. Emis Akbari, Executive Director
Atkinson Centre for Society and Child Development
Sussanne Skidmore, President
BC Federation of Labour
Iglika Ivanova, Co-Executive Director
BC Policy Solutions
Chantelle Spicer, Interim Provincial Director
BC Poverty Reduction Coalition
Angie Gelowitz, Director
Bright Beginnings Early Childhood Centre
Susan Colley, Chair, Board of Directors
Building Blocks for Child Care
Angela Marie MacDougall, Executive Director
Battered Women’s Support Services
Leila Sarangi, Chair, National Director
Campaign 2000: End Child and Family Poverty
Meseret Haileyesus, CEO
Canadian Center for Women Empowerment (CCFWE)
Peggy Nash, Executive Director
Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives
Taya Whitehead, Chair
Canadian Child Care Federation
Nuzhat Jafri, Executive Director
Canadian Council of Muslim Women
Jamie Beagan, Executive Director
Canadian Federation of University Women
Siobhán Vipond, Executive Vice-President
Canadian Labour Congress
Jackie Neapole, Executive Director
Canadian Research Institute for the Advancement of Women
Coleen Jones, 2nd National Vice President
Canadian Union of Postal Workers
Mark Hancock – National President and Candace Rennick – National Secretary-Treasurer
Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE)
Nancy Wilson, Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Canadian Women's Chamber of Commerce
Mitzie Hunter, President and CEO
Canadian Women’s Foundation
Viveca Ellis, Executive Director
Centre for Family Equity
Martha Friendly, Executive Director
Childcare Resource and Research Unit
Sara Austin, Founder and CEO
Children First Canada
Sharon Gregson, Spokesperson
Coalition of Child Care Advocates of BC
Christa O'Connor, CEO
Creative Beginnings Early Learning & Care
Bonnie Brayton, CEO
DAWN (Disabled Women's Network) Canada
Jenn Nangreaves, Executive Director
Early Childhood Development Association (ECDA) of PEI
Joanne Morris, Chairperson
Early Childhood Educators Human Resources Council
Emily Mlieczko, Executive Director
Early Childhood Educators of BC
Anne Pinkerton, Board President
Early Childhood Educators of Yukon Territory - ECEYT
Candice Shaw, Executive Director
Ending Sexual Violence Association of Canada
Sara Arsenault, Responsable des dossiers politiques
Fédération des femmes du Québec
Brigitte L'Heureux, Directrice générale
Fédération des parents de la francophonie manitobaine
Adrienne Montani, Executive Director
First Call Child and Youth Advocacy Society
Megan Schmidt, Director
First Years Learning Center
Paul Kershaw, Founder and Professor
Generation Squeeze
Brenda Ferguson, Board President
Home Child Care Association of Ontario
Kimberly Dreaddy, Executive Director
Jimmy Pratt Foundation
Anastasia French, Managing Director
Living Wage BC
Jodie Kehl, Executive Director
Manitoba Child Care Association
Anna Rothney, Executive Director
Manitoba Federation of Labour
Suzanne Zaccour, Director of Legal Affairs
National Association of Women and the Law
Raphaëlle Valay-Nadeau, President
New Brunswick Coalition for Pay Equity
Chris Watson, President
New Brunswick Federation of Labour
Jessica McCormick, President
Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Labour
Sara-Jayne Dempster, President
Northern Territories Federation of Labour
Yvette Cooper, Co-Chair
Northwest Territories Early Childhood Association
Melissa Marsman, President
Nova Scotia Federation of Labour
Carolyn Ferns, Policy Coordinator
Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care
Fay Faraday and Jan Borowy, Co-Chairs
Ontario Equal Pay Coalition
Laura Walton, President
Ontario Federation of Labour
Pamela Uppal-Sandhu, Interim Co-Executive Director
Ontario Nonprofit Network
Lauren Ravon, Executive Director
Oxfam Canada
Mariam Bouchoutrouch, Executive Director
Pacific Immigrant Resources Society
Brynne Sinclair-Waters, Co-founder
Parents for Child Care
Cristina Duskey, President
PEI Federation of Labour
Melanie Bacon, Director
Play & Discover Early Learning Centre
Alora Biram and Jammie Trinidad, Assistant Directors
Prairie Lily Early Learning Centre
Andrée-Anne Leblanc, Executive Director
Regroupement féministe du Nouveau-Brunswick
Ashley Elgert Barclay, Executive Director
Saskatchewan Early Childhood Association
Lori Johb, President
Saskatchewan Federation of Labour
Wesley Wong, Chair
School Age Child Care Association of British Columbia
Susan Prentice, Professor
Sociology, University of Manitoba
Shalini Konanur, Executive Director
South Asian Legal Clinic of Ontario
Bailey Fleck, Chairperson
South East Saskatchewan Directors Association
Sharon Hope Irwin, Executive Director
SpeciaLink | Center for Inclusive Childcare
Emilie Coyle, Co-Executive Director
The Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies (CAEFS)
Barb Reid, Co-Chair
The Council for Early Learning and Care
Peter Frampton, Executive Director
The Learning Enrichment Foundation
Christopher Smith, Associate Executive Director
The Muttart Foundation
Julie Savard-Shaw, Executive Director
The Prosperity Project
John Weatherup, President
Toronto Education Workers/Local 4400
Patsy McKinney, Executive Director
Under One Sky Friendship Center
Lana Payne, President
Unifor
Anita Khanna, Vice President, Government Relations and Public Policy
United Way Centraide Canada
Humera Jabir, Staff Lawyer
West Coast LEAF (Legal Education and Action Fund)
Ruth Goba, Executive Director
Women's Legal Education and Action Fund (LEAF)
Stefania Seccia, Executive Director, Advocacy & Public Affairs
Women's National Housing & Homelessness Network
Kaitlin Geiger-Bardswich, Director of Communications and Advocacy
Women's Shelters Canada
Nneka MacGregor, Executive Director
WomenatthecentrE
Peter Dinsdale, President and CEO
YMCA Canada
Everett Ledoux, President
Yukon Federation of Labour
Erin Seeley, CEO
YWCA BC
Amanda Arella, National Director, Public Policy & Advocacy
YWCA Canada
Melissa Coomber-Bendtsen, CEO
YWCA Regina
Maria Gentle, Executive Director
YWCA St. John’s
