Backgrounder

Bill C-35, the proposed Act to respecting early learning and child care in Canada, was introduced in the House of Commons on December 8, 2022.

The proposed Act to respecting early learning and child care in Canada would:

• reinforce the Government’s long-term commitment to early learning and child care by articulating the federal goal, vision, and principles for a Canada‑wide system;
• enshrine the Government of Canada’s commitment to sustained and ongoing funding for provinces, territories, and Indigenous peoples;
• enhance accountability through federal public reporting on progress towards an early learning and child care system; and
• establish in law the National Advisory Council on Early Learning and Child Care, which would provide advice to the Government of Canada and serve as a forum for engagement on issues and challenges facing the early learning and child care sector.

Relationships with provinces, territories and Indigenous peoples

The proposed Act would fully respect provincial and territorial jurisdiction, and Indigenous rights, including the right to self-determination, while recognizing that the federal government has a role to play in setting guiding federal principles and in providing financial support. The proposed Act would not impose any conditions or requirements upon provincial and territorial governments, or Indigenous peoples. That said, provinces, territories, and Indigenous organizations and governing bodies would benefit from the greater predictability and assurance of a federal commitment to early learning and child care.

If passed, the bill would complement, not replace, ongoing collaboration with and sustained long-term funding for provinces, territories, and Indigenous peoples, building on the federal-provincial-territorial Multilateral Early Learning and Child Care Framework, the co-developed Indigenous Early Learning and Child Care Framework, and associated agreements. It would demonstrate a commitment to ongoing federal support with respect to achieving the vision of a Canada-wide early learning and child care system.

Enhancing accountability and transparency

The proposed Act would include a requirement that the Minister report to the public on an annual basis on federal investments and the progress being made under a Canada-wide system. Significant funding is being invested to build a Canada-wide early learning and child care system and it is important to ensure that provinces, territories, and Indigenous peoples, and families across Canada have transparent and timely access to the information they need to assess and understand the progress being made toward creating and maintaining a Canada-wide early learning and child care system.

If passed, the bill would focus on federal commitments and accountability. Reporting requirements on provinces, territories and Indigenous peoples would continue to be collaboratively negotiated and articulated within the bilateral agreements with provinces and territories and within funding agreements with Indigenous partners.

Federal vision for a Canada-wide system

Through the 2020 Fall Economic Statement and Budget 2021, the Government has made significant investments to help build a Canada-wide early learning and child care system: more than $30 billion over five years when Indigenous early learning and child care is included. If it becomes law, the Act would reinforce the Government of Canada’s intentions by committing to maintain sustained, long‑term federal funding for early learning and child care in law, helping to ensure stability for the Canada-wide vision. 

The federal goal for a Canada-wide early learning and child care system is for all families - no matter their socio‑economic standing or racial identity, whether their child has a disability or needs enhanced or individual support, or where they live in Canada – to have access to community‑based high‑quality, affordable and inclusive early learning and child care.

A Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care System

The Government of Canada made a transformative investment of over $27 billion over five years as part of Budget 2021 to build a Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care system with provinces and territories. Combined with other investments, including in Indigenous Early Learning and Child Care, up to $30 billion over five years will be provided in support of early learning and child care. Combined with previous investments announced since 2015, this means that as of 2025-2026, a minimum of $9.2 billion will be provided every year—permanently.

This investment allows governments to work together towards achieving an average parent fee of $10-a-day by March 2026 for all licensed child care spaces, starting with a 50 percent reduction in average fees for regulated early learning and child care spaces by the end of 2022.

As of December 2022, every province and territory has achieved significant reductions in fees for regulated child care to families—with six of them having already confirmed a reduction in average fees of 50 percent or more. In the case of Nunavut, Yukon, and Quebec, families are already enjoying average child care fees of $10-a-day or less; Yukon and Quebec having achieved that before Canada-wide agreements were signed. Additionally, provinces and territories have announced the creation of more than 30,000 new child care spaces since the first agreement was signed. Further, several provinces and territories have used federal funding to increase supports for early childhood education workers and staff, who are at the heart of the Canada-wide system.