Advocates call for federal, provincial governments to strengthen child-care system

By Canadian Press on January 30, 2026.

Child-care advocates are calling on the federal and provincial governments to commit today to strengthening the $10-a-day system, as the ministers responsible meet in Ottawa.

Most provinces and territories now have average fees of $10 a day, but not all of them do and space creation targets are not on track to be met while many wait lists are increasing.

Child Care Now and other advocates for an affordable, accessible and primarily non-profit system say now is not the time to shy away from those goals; rather, as the country seeks to shore up its economy in the face of global trade disruptions, child care is critical.

Jobs and Families Minister Patty Hajdu is meeting today with provincial and territorial ministers of education and early learning and a spokesperson says the federal government wants to get the national child-care program right.

Morna Ballantyne, executive director of Child Care Now, says some provinces have been pushing back on what is needed to get fees reduced all the way down to $10 a day on average, and have been advocating for more for-profit operator participation in the system.

Some provinces have been urging the federal government to spend more money on its signature program, but the advocates say the provincial governments must increase their own funding as well.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 30, 2026.

Allison Jones, The Canadian Press