Nearly 70 per cent of Canadians support the federal government's Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care program, according to a new YMCA and YWCA survey.DARRYL DYCK/The Canadian Press
A new survey from the YMCA of Canada and YWCA Canada showing a majority of Canadians are in favour of publicly funded child care is intended to shore up support for a federal care program as some provinces’ commitment to the deal appears to be wavering ahead of a critical deadline.
In 2021, the federal government pledged $30-billion to create 250,000 new child care spaces and reduce costs to an average of $10 a day over the next five years.
Every province and territory signed on to the Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care agreement.
In the lead up to the federal election earlier this year, many in the child care sector worried that, if elected, a Conservative government would scrap the program and offer families tax credits instead.
In response to those concerns, the YMCA of Canada, the largest provider of not-for-profit child care in the country, commissioned a survey to gauge Canadians’ support for publicly funded child care, which was released on Wednesday.
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The survey’s findings, which show a majority of Canadians prefer keeping government funding for child care in place, are important considering three provinces, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Ontario have yet to sign extensions to the federal deal, said Peter Dinsdale, president and chief executive of YMCA Canada.
“We wanted to demonstrate that Canadians support the program, and one way of doing that for us was a public opinion survey,” he said.
There is still “lots of uncertainty and concern” over Alberta and Saskatchewan not yet signing extensions to the deal, set to expire on March 31, 2026, Mr. Dinsdale said.
Ontario has also expressed concerns over the deal, primarily in regards to the need for more funding, although it has signed an in-principle extension with the federal government.
The survey of more than 4,000 Canadians, conducted in January and February by the Environics Institute for Survey Research in partnership with YMCA Canada and YWCA Canada, found that 68 per cent of Canadians support the Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care program.
Only 28 per cent of respondents said they would prefer giving parents a tax break.
The survey also asked Canadians to gauge the importance of several reasons for governments providing funding for child care. When it came to ensuring that women can return to work after having children, 48 per cent of respondents said it was critically important, while 44 per cent of respondents said making life more affordable for parents was critically important.
Only 22 per cent said that encouraging young couples to have children was a critically important reason for the program.
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The YMCA hopes these findings convince Alberta, Saskatchewan and Ontario to sign extensions with the federal government.
Alberta has said it wants an income-tested system and more public funding allotted to for-profit child care providers, among other concerns.
Saskatchewan has said it wants more input from child-care operators before making a final decision, and that it also wants to see the federal plan address before- and after- school programs.
A survey conducted earlier this year by Child Care Now Saskatchewan, a non-profit advocacy organization, found that 77 per cent of child-care operators said they would not be able to continue offering $10 a day childcare if the province does not sign the extension.
The YMCA survey findings are “pivotal,” says Marni Flaherty, interim chief executive of the Canadian Child Care Federation, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving child care and early learning.
“All levels of government need to know that there’s public interest to keep going,” she says. “All levels need to be involved to make sure it’s solid.”
Editor’s note: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that two provinces, Alberta and Saskatchewan, have yet to sign extensions to the federal deal. While Ontario has signed an in-principle extension, that province, also, has yet to formally sign.