Stand on Guard for Child Care
#CanadaChildCare
Election 2025
Canada’s ELCC sector is growing strong. Our message to party leaders this election is that the Canada-wide child care plan needs to continue the important transformation it has started. Canadian families are now accessing affordable child care and there are ambitious expansion plans so that even more families can access additional quality child care spaces. As part of the Canada-wide system building, we are also strengthening the ELCC workforce. Canada needs to continue this work to build a truly national ELCC system for all.
Canada’s provincial and territorial child care organizations, early childhood educators, family child care providers, child care advocates, children’s rights groups and parents all agree that building a high quality, accessible, inclusive and affordable child care system makes for a stronger Canada.
What is the future of child care in Canada?
Canadians are worried about what will become of the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care (CWELCC) plan (otherwise known as the $10-a-Day Plan). The recent Statistics Canada Survey on Early Learning and Child Care 2023 shows the early positive impacts of the $10-a-Day Plan. The plan is clearly helping Canadian families gain access to affordable, licensed child care and the evidence is that licensed care is the preferred form of child care when possible. That’s why so many parents want licensed, low-fee child care spaces and why solving workforce shortages and building new child care capacity is such an urgent priority.
Which candidates will stand up for child care in Canada?
Liberal Party
The Canada-wide child care plan was announced in the April 19, 2021 federal budget and has continued since then. All 13 provincial and territorial governments signed Canada-wide child care agreements with the federal government, which expire on March 31, 2026. Extensions of the agreements have been signed by 11 of the 13 jurisdictions, so the Canada-wide chld care plan will continue the work that was started in 2021.
Specific to Election 2025, to date there have been no new announcements as to the Liberal’s further plans for the Canada-wide plan.
Conservative Party of Canada
Currently there is nothing specific about ELCC on their website, but on March 25/25 CPC leader Pierre Poilievre, “suggested he would protect…child care program(s)”, but was unclear on further details.
For more information, please read this news story via CBC news:
Poilievre suggests he would ‘protect’ dental care, child care programs as PM
New Democratic Party
The NDP have supported the Canada-wide child care plan since its announcement on April 19, 2021.
The Party is proposing spending $10 billion over the next four years to create 500,000 new child-care spaces in Canada. The NDP would make access to affordable child care a right by law and expand universal, $10 per day daycare for all families by 2030.
Green Party
From the Green party website: “Create universal early learning and child care that every family can afford”
People's Party of Canada
Specific to Election 2025, there is nothing noted on the PPC website specific to child care and the Canada-wide plan.
Questions to ask or write to candidates in your riding
- What will you do to expand the $10aDay child care plan to make more quality affordable spaces available to more families?
- My work as a part of Canada's ELCC sector is essential. I am essential. Does your plan make an ongoing commitment to value and support my profession and my work?
- One of the barriers to successfully building the child care system and ensuring every parent accesses a quality child care space for their child, is the shortage of early childhood educators entering and working in the field. Do you have a child care workforce strategy and plan to attract more early childhood educators through better wages, working conditions and affordable access to post-secondary programs?
Vote for Child Care
The Canadian Child Care Federation supports the continued building of Canada’s Early Learning and Child Care sector. We support the $10-a-Day Plan. We stand on guard for child care.
