Excerpted from agreement
CANADA-NOVA SCOTIA CANADA-WIDE EARLY LEARNING AND CHILD CARE AGREEMENT
BETWEEN: HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN IN RIGHT OF CANADA (hereinafter) referred to as "Canada" or "Government of Canada") as represented by the Minister of Employment and Social Development Canada ("Canada") and as represented by the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development (herein referred to as "the federal Minister")
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THE GOVERNMENT OF Nova Scotia (hereinafter referred to as Nova Scotia") as represented by the Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development herein referred to as "the Nova Scotia Minister'')
REFERRED to collectively as the "Parties" PREAMBLE WHEREAS, Canada and Nova Scotia agreed to a Multilateral Early Learning and Child Care Framework on June 12, 2017 which articulated their shared vision for early learning and child care and describes their approach to achieve this vision; WHEREAS, Canada and Nova Scotia will work together to build a communitybased system of quality, regulated early learning and child care ("ELCC"), aiming for all families to have access to high-quality, affordable, flexible and inclusive early learning and child care no matter where they live; WHEREAS, Building on the 2020 Fall Economic Statement (FES), Budget 2021 commits almost $30 billion over five years and provides permanent ongoing funding to work with provincial and territorial, and Indigenous partners to support quality, not-for-profit child care, and ensure early childhood educators are at the heart of the system. Combined with previous investments announced since 2015, approximately $9.2 billion per year ongoing will be invested in child care, including Indigenous Early Learning and Child Care, starting in 2025-26; WHEREAS, Canada's spending in early learning and child care is intended to increase until it is roughly shared with provinces and territories by 2025-26; WHEREAS, To further support a lasting federal commitment, Canada is committed to tabling Early Learning and Child Care Legislation in fall 2021, following consultations with stakeholders, provincial, territorial, and Indigenous partners-to enshrine the principles of a Canada-wide ELCC system into law;
WHEREAS, the Department of Employment and Social Development Act (DESDA) authorizes the federal Minister to enter into agreements with the provinces and territories, for the purpose of facilitating the formulation, coordination and implementation of any program or policy falling within DESDA; WHEREAS, the Public Service Act authorizes the Nova Scotia Minister to enter in agreements with the Government of Canada under which Canada undertakes to provide funding toward costs incurred by the Government of Nova Scotia for the provision of early learning and child care; WHEREAS, Canada has, pursuant to its Policy on Transfer Payments, established a transfer payment program to provide funds to the provincial and territorial governments for the development and delivery of regulated child care programs and services; WHEREAS, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada has called "upon the federal, provincial, territorial, and Indigenous governments to develop culturally appropriate early childhood education programs for Aboriginal families"; WHEREAS, Canada and the Assembly of First Nations, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, the Metis National Council jointly released the co-developed Indigenous ELCC Framework in September 2018, which establishes overarching principles and sets a vision for happy and safe Indigenous children and families, strong cultural identity, and a comprehensive and coordinated system that is anchored in selfdetermination and centered on children and grounded in culture, and can be used as a guide for all actors involved in Indigenous ELCC; and, WHEREAS, Nova Scotia invests in early learning and child care for Indigenous children and Canada and Nova Scotia agree to work collaboratively with Indigenous governing bodies and organizations to achieve a Canada-wide ELCC system.
NOW THEREFORE, Canada and Nova Scotia agree as follows:
1.0 VISION FOR CANADA-WIDE EARLY LEARNING AND CHILD CARE
1.1 Canada will be guided by the long-term vision and objectives set out in the Multilateral Framework in making investments in early learning and child care committed in Budget 2021 across jurisdictions. Canada and Nova Scotia agree that the long-term vision and objectives for Canada-wide ELCC set out in the Multilateral Framework will guide the investment of funds provided under this Agreement. This includes the vision that all families in Canada have access to high-quality, affordable, flexible and inclusive early learning and child care no matter where they live.
1.2 Canada and Nova Scotia aspire to the following objectives:
a) Providing a 50% reduction in average parent fees for provincially-funded, regulated ELCC programs and services (as described in section 2.2} by the end of 2022 and reaching an average of $10 a day by 2025-26 for all provincially-funded, regulated child care spaces;
b) Creating more high-quality, affordable regulated child care spaces, primarily through not-for-profit and public child care providers;
c) Addressing barriers to provide inclusive and flexible child care; and,
d) Valuing the early childhood workforce and providing them with training and development opportunities.
1.3 Canada and Nova Scotia agree that progress toward this vision will be undertaken by prioritizing federal investments in support of regulated early learning and child care and for children under age six.