The Canadian federal government has officially launched a child care expansion program that aims at addressing the high demand for child care spaces in the country. The initiative includes a $1 billion investment in low-cost loans alongside an additional $60 million in non-repayable grants to assist public and non-profit child care providers in creating new spaces. This move, proposed as part of a larger plan to reduce child care costs for children aged six and under to $10 a day by 2026, is a response to the urgent need for affordable child care options for families, particularly young mothers and millennials who face economic challenges like the aftermath of the 2008 recession, the COVID-19 pandemic, and climate change impacts.

During a recent announcement in Surrey, British Columbia, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau emphasized the significance of this child care expansion program in supporting mothers and ensuring they have the necessary resources to thrive in a challenging economic environment. The federal Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care agreement, a substantial $30 billion plan unveiled in April 2021, has garnered support from all territories and provinces, with Ontario being the final region to join in March 2022. While the reduction of child care fees has been a central focus of the program, advocates express concern over the slow progress in achieving the goal of creating 250,000 new child care spaces, as many parents continue to struggle to find accessible and affordable child care options for their young children.

One of the key components of the new program is the provision of loans to facilitate the development of new child care spaces, particularly benefiting non-profit operators who often face challenges in securing adequate funds for expansion. Morna Ballantyne, the executive director of Child Care Now, a prominent advocacy organization, highlighted the popularity of the government's child care program and the significant number of parents who are currently on waitlists for child care services across the country. Additionally, data from Statistics Canada reveals the increasing difficulties faced by parents in finding suitable child care arrangements, with waitlists growing and a rising percentage of parents reporting challenges in accessing child care services.