Celebrating the one-year anniversary of the signing of the Canada-Quebec Asymmetrical Agreement on the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care Component

Gatineau: The Government of Canada recognizes Quebec’s leadership in early learning and child care.

Today, the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, Karina Gould, celebrated the one-year anniversary of the signing of the Canada-Quebec Asymmetrical Agreement on the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care Component. This asymmetrical agreement will help fund additional improvements to Quebec’s innovative child care system, which is already the most affordable in the country.

Under the agreement with Quebec, the Government of Canada is investing nearly $6 billion over five years to make further improvements to early learning and child care. A significant portion of the funding will address Quebec’s stated child care priorities, including creating more than 30,000 subsidized reduced-contribution child care spaces, increasing the number of qualified child care educators and strengthening the current child care network.

Quebec is considered a leader in early learning and child care and has made significant investments in policies and services for families. The agreement allows the Government of Canada to support Quebec families, while recognizing that Quebec must remain in charge of setting priorities for early learning and child care, a responsibility which belongs to it exclusively and for which it has already proven itself.

Building a Canada-wide child care system that works for all families in every region of the country is a key part of the plan to make life more affordable for families, while creating jobs and growing the economy. Nearly all provinces and territories have already seen reductions in child care fees. By the end of 2022, average fees for licensed child care spaces will be cut in half across the country. For governments such as Quebec and the Yukon, which already have an affordable universal child care system in place, investments will support their priorities, including the expansion of child care spaces.