Prime Minister Justin Trudeau noted that 11 of 13 provinces and territories have agreed to extensions of the deals with his government that provide billions of dollars to cut child-care costs to 2031. Prime Minister Trudeau visits with children at a daycare in Ottawa on March 6.Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press
In his final days as Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau has announced the federal government will invest an additional $36.8-billion over five years to extend his signature $10-per-day child-care program.
Thursday’s funding commitment was unveiled as the Liberals are getting ready for Sunday’s leadership vote, where Mr. Trudeau’s successor will be picked ahead of an election expected this spring.
Mr. Trudeau said he was hopeful the programlaunched in 2021 with a $27-billion, five-year investment would survive his nearly decade-long run as prime minister.
“There is nothing one government can’t do that can’t be undone by the following government unless Canadians are very clear on the need to keep this going,” Mr. Trudeau told a news conference at an Ottawa child-care centre. “So we’re going to make sure that more Canadians over the coming years understand that child care is a foundational building block of what it means to be Canadian, like health care.”
Under the federal program, eight provinces and territories are delivering early learning and child care for an average $10 per day or less, while other jurisdictions have reduced fees by 50 per cent or more below 2019 levels, according to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office.
Mr. Trudeau noted that 11 of 13 provinces and territories have agreed to extensions of the deals with his government that provide billions of dollars to cut child-care costs to 2031. The exceptions are Alberta and Saskatchewan.
Matthew Glover, executive director of communications for the Saskatchewan government, said in an e-mail exchange that the province is prepared to negotiate in good faith before the agreement expires March 31, 2026.
However, he did not address questions about what impact a potential spring election may have on those talks.
Alberta’s Jobs Minister Matt Jones said its current agreement is underfunded, unfair to the majority of child-care providers in Alberta, and should target supports to the parents who need them most.
“The federal government has offered a rushed extension proposal that is a continuation of their unfair and underfunded status quo,” Mr. Jones said in a statement.
He warned of a cumulative child-care funding deficit of approximately $5-billion by 2030-31 based on current levels of provincial and federal funding. Mr. Jones said that would leave Alberta “to prop up an unsustainable and inflexible system that has resulted in 100,000 children on wait lists and that cannot meet the demands of our growing population.”
Mr. Jones said that if sufficient funding and the required flexibility are not provided, Alberta would be unable to proceed with a renewal and would be forced to transition out of a program it sees as unsustainable.
Ontario Education Minister Jill Dunlop said in a letter to Families Minister Jenna Sudds and Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc that the province appreciates its collaboration with Ottawa on the file.
But, she added, that work is required to address a $10-billion funding gap to ensure that Ontario families benefit from $10-per-day child care that other provinces have already achieved.
She warned that Ontario families will see their fees increase to $22 per day on April 1, 2026, with no additional needed spaces or future wage increases for workers.
But she wrote that she would take agreement extension forward for government decision with the intention of finalizing them promptly.
In a statement, NDP families critic Leah Gazan said that the party is pleased to see the extensions of $10-a-day child care, but there’s a need for efforts to provide better wages and working conditions.
“Otherwise. we’re dooming parents to keep hunting for care, making little progress on wait lists and paying far more.