Excerpts

In the recent provincial budget, Manitoba took an important step toward reducing child poverty and strengthening our early learning and child-care system.

By eliminating the $2-per-day fee for the lowest-income families receiving subsidized child care, the province has effectively made child care free for those most in need. This advance is meaningful in building a more inclusive, universal system.

It also reflects the steady progress made under the Canada-wide $10-a-day early learning and child care agreement. Five years in, Manitoba has moved decisively to lower parent fees, expand access, and recognize child care as essential public infrastructure for both younger children and those up to age 12.

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The message this gives is clear: child care is as fundamental to our economy as roads and transit. And the evidence bears this out. Since the introduction of $10-a-day child care, Manitoba has seen a sharp rise in mothers’ workforce participation, outpacing provinces like Ontario. Investments in early learning and child care generate economic growth, support family incomes, and strengthen communities over the short and long term.

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While public funding is increasing as Manitoba builds a universal system, strengthening worker voice — including through unionization and collective bargaining — will be key to ensuring this sector is high-quality and sustainable.

Manitoba has a significant advantage to build on. Approximately 95 per cent of child-care centres in the province are non-profit, meaning public dollars are invested directly into programs, wages, and quality improvements — not profits. This is a strong foundation for a truly public system. Unlike in many other provinces, the Manitoba government has made it clear that it intends to build a childcare system for the benefit of children and families, not for private shareholders.

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For school-age children, the gap is even more stark, with spaces available for only a small fraction of those who need before- and after-school care. Even with 5,400 new spaces opened and another 6,100 committed, Manitoba is less than halfway to meeting its 2021 commitment to 23,000 new spaces, and demand continues to far outstrip supply. As long as the province continues to rely on volunteers to start new facilities and asks them to raise 40 per cent of the multi-million-dollar capital costs, this situation is unlikely to change.

This shortage is felt most acutely by families in low-income neighbourhoods and in rural and Northern communities. Without sufficient expansion, affordable child care remains out of reach for many.

That is why the next phase of reform must focus on building out the system itself. The Child Care Coalition of Manitoba has called for strengthening the province’s non-profit model through provincial leadership and expanded public options, including direct delivery by school divisions or other public entities. This kind of planned, public expansion is essential to meeting demand, ensuring equitable access across regions and building confidence in the system.

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