Greater economic security for middle class families

Key elements of the child care plan:

Liberals believe that every Canadian child deserves the best possible start in life and that a comprehensive approach to learning must start early. We also know that high-quality, affordable child care options are critical to the economic security of families and, in particular, to the economic security of women. That is why we will work with provinces, territories, and Indigenous Peoples to create a new National Early Learning and Child Care Framework. This plan will be administered as part of our new social infrastructure investment of nearly $20 billion over the next ten years, and achieved in collaboration with, and in respect of, provincial jurisdiction. We recognize that child care needs vary across the country, and, in the absence of federal engagement, provinces and territories have moved forward with different models. This is why we will not impose pre-determined costs or models on other orders of government, but work collaboratively with each of them on funding agreements. Our framework will build on the progress that provinces and territories are making and allow them to move further in providing more affordable, accessible, inclusive, high-quality child care and early learning which considers the diverse needs of all children in Canada. We will also work in partnership with other governments to develop a framework for such agreements based on research, evidence-based policy, and best practices in the delivery of early learning and child care. A new Liberal government will initiate this process through a ministerial meeting within 100 days of being elected.