Ottawa, Quebec reach agreement on child-care funding for $6B over 5 years
Quebec will soon be able to invest a large amount of money into its child-care network, following an agreement of $6 billion over five years with the federal government.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier François Legault made the announcement Thursday morning at a park in Montreal's east end Hochelaga neighbourhood.
"This agreement will provide Quebec families and communities with additional support as we build back better from the pandemic," said Trudeau.
The federal government says negotiations with Quebec proceeded smoothly and quickly, due to the possibility of a general election call before the end of the summer.
As such, Ottawa accepted Quebec's request to not have any conditions imposed on the transfer.
In its last budget, the Trudeau government committed to a $30 billion, coast-to-coast, $10-a-day child-care program based on Quebec's Centres de la petite enfance (CPE) model.
"It's time for the rest of Canada to follow Quebec's example," Trudeau said. "Our plan for more affordable early child-care service will leave no family and no child behind."
Quebec created its own network of reduced child-care services in the 1990s and was given the option to opt-out of the federal program and receive full financial compensation.
Last April, Finance Minister Eric Girard confirmed the province will get just under $1 billion this year and close to $2 billion by 2025-26.
At the time, he said he received assurances from his federal counterpart, Chrystia Freeland, that the transfer would have "no conditions."
Quebec Premier François Legault and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speak about childcare funding for the province. (Billy Shields/CTV News)
Quebec Premier François Legault and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speak about childcare funding for the province. (Billy Shields/CTV News)
A 'significant portion' of the transfer will be used to strengthen Quebec's network of early childhood education and care services, as well as improve working conditions for educators, the federal government said.
"Young parents and their children will benefit directly," Legault agreed.
Quebec's child-care network is currently in dire need of help due to a lack of daycare spots, the recent closures of many family daycares and a worrisome labour shortage.
In addition, the wait for a child-care space is at an all-time high, with more than 50,000 names on the list.
Th governments note this announcement also confirms that it is possible to have federal-provincial agreements on an asymmetrical model, which allows Quebec to assert its identity without losing money.
The province already spends nearly $3 billion a year on its child-care system and this federal transfer would allow Quebec to create 22,000 new spaces.
Officials say this should be enough to make a difference, despite the high number of names on the wait list -- many parents are still waiting for a CPE spot even if they are already registered elsewhere.
In recent months, the federal government has entered into agreements with several provinces to implement its program and develop $10-a-day child-care spaces.
-- This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Aug. 3 and updated on Aug. 5, 2021.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'My family doctor just fired me': Ontario patients frustrated with de-rostering
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
Suspect sought after fatal slashing in downtown Toronto
Police are searching for a suspect in a homicide investigation after a man was slashed in downtown Toronto on Sunday.
Edibles, armchairs and adapters: Here are the recalls for this week
Health Canada announced various product recalls this week, including electric adapters, armchairs, cannabis edibles and vehicle components.
Putin replaces Russian defence minister in rare cabinet shakeup
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin began a Cabinet shakeup on Sunday, proposing the replacement of Sergei Shoigu as defence minister as he begins his fifth term in office.
Wildfire near Fort McMurray more than triples overnight, several evacuation alerts remain in place
The fire burning near Fort McMurray grew from 25 hectares to 5,500 hectares over the weekend.
Canada Post cracks down on Nunavut loophole to get free Amazon Prime shipping
Amazon's paid subscription service provides free delivery for online shopping across Canada except for remote locations, the company said in an email. While customers in Iqaluit qualify for the offer, all other communities in Nunavut are excluded.
Mother's Day movies that pull at ALL the heartstrings
This Mother's Day Weekend, take a look at some of the most emotional movies inspired by moms.
WATCH Dashcam video shows terrifying near-miss on two-lane northern Ontario highway
There were some scary moments for several people on a northern Ontario highway caught on video Thursday after a chain reaction following a truck fire.
'It was violent': Police tear down U of A pro-Palestinian encampment Saturday morning
Multiple people at the protest camp torn down at the University of Alberta campus Saturday say police's actions against protesters were "violent" and "disproportionate."