Child Care Now calls on new Prime Minister to make child care a priority

Following the election of Prime Minister Mark Carney, Child Care Now is calling for urgent and sustained action to fulfill the Liberal Party of Canada’s ambitious commitments to early learning and child care.

In a letter congratulating the new Prime Minister, Child Care Now Executive Director Morna Ballantyne welcomed the government’s platform promises and pledged the organization’s partnership to help ensure they are fully realized.

The letter emphasized three key commitments from the Liberal platform as critical next steps for the sector:

• Creating 100,000 new child care spaces by 2031
• Strengthening workforce recruitment and retention through better wages, pensions, and benefits for child care staff
• Embedding child care into public infrastructure projects, including through the government’s expanded housing program

While the platform rightly recognized affordable child care as essential family support, Ballantyne underscored in her letter that it is also a cornerstone of Canada’s economic and social prosperity.

“It drives workforce participation — especially for women — strengthens communities, and plays a critical role in securing Canada’s economic future and sovereignty,” she wrote.

Child Care Now is urging the Prime Minister to ensure that child care features prominently in the Throne Speech and is reflected in the mandates of key ministers, including those responsible for Finance, Housing, Infrastructure, Employment, Social Development, Families, and Crown-Indigenous Relations.

With deep policy expertise and grounded knowledge of the sector, Child Care Now stands ready to be a partner in building a universally accessible, high-quality, and publicly funded child care system for all Canadians.