Key Takeaways:
- Newcomers to Canada are likely to benefit significantly from Canada’s new daycare program.
- In April 2021, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stated that daycare should cost an average of $10 per day across the country within the next five years.
To complete this goal, the federal government has pledged to invest $30 billion over the next five years, followed by a minimum of $9.2 billion annually after that. According to the Prime Minister’s office, the new system could reduce daycare fees by 50% on average outside of Quebec by the end of 2022.
Following the announcement, the federal government has begun discussions with provinces and territories about implementing this new early learning and child care system.
It has reached agreements with seven provinces and one territory so far. The deals include determining how much money the federal government will provide each jurisdiction to make child care more affordable and accessible and support child care providers themselves through things like skill training and wage increases.
The goal of this enterprise is to promote economic growth and social prosperity throughout the country.
At the time of the announcement, the prime minister’s office stated, “By constructing early learning and child care system. We will make life more affordable for Canadian families, create new jobs, expand the middle class, increase women’s participation in the labour force, and drive strong economic growth across the country.”
This policy is likely a massive win for parents across Canada, perhaps especially for parents in vulnerable situations. Immigrants are among those who stand to gain the most.
Immigrants tend to arrive in Canada when they are younger than the average Canadian. As a result, they tend to have younger families, and having access to affordable child care is critical. In addition, immigrants, unlike the average Canadian, may not have existing family and friends to care for their children, and they may not yet have a high enough income to afford daycare. Usually, it is immigrant women who bear the brunt of this.
Source: CIC News
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