Conservative members of Parliament joined other parties to vote in favour of a bill that enshrines the federal government’s long-term commitment to a Canada-wide early learning and child-care system.
The Liberals introduced the bill late last year as part of an effort to ensure that future federal governments would continue providing child-care funding to provinces. The bill, which passed unanimously, also creates a national advisory council on early learning and child care. The Liberal government earmarked $30 billion over five years in the 2021 budget to set up a long-promised national child-care program.
Agreements between Ottawa and the provinces and territories, most of which are helmed by conservative premiers, aim to reduce child-care fees to $10 a day, on average, by 2026.