Excerpts
Federal, provincial and territorial ministers* most responsible for early learning and child care gathered today in Charlottetown to advance shared priorities. The meeting was co-chaired by the Honourable Jenna Sudds, Canada’s Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, and the Honourable Rob Lantz, Prince Edward Island’s Minister of Education and Early Years.
The ministers acknowledged that a thriving workforce is critical to ensuring high-quality and inclusive early learning and child care. Building on the work of last year’s meeting, ministers reviewed a jointly developed draft Multilateral Early Learning and Child Care Workforce Strategy and discussed a path forward for working together on common goals to stabilize and support the early learning and child care workforce. Ministers recognized that each government can conduct its own engagements on the strategy, such as engaging further with Indigenous governments, communities and organizations. Ministers also recognized that they retain responsibility and authority over how the strategy is implemented in their respective jurisdictions.
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During the meeting, federal, provincial and territorial ministers reflected on the significant work that has taken place to strengthen early learning and child care across Canada. Building on this foundation, ministers discussed the critical importance of prioritizing collaborative work toward the long-term sustainability and adequate funding of the Canada-wide early learning and child care system from all federal, provincial and territorial governments. And, as stated in the Canada Early Learning and Child Care Act, the Government of Canada commits to maintaining long-term funding for early learning and child care programs and services.
The ministers also used the meeting as an opportunity to mark the collective achievements of the past year, highlighting that the families of over 750,000 children across Canada are already benefiting from affordable, high-quality child care. They also discussed the critical importance of meeting the unique needs of local communities, including Indigenous communities, in their early learning and child care systems.
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