Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced in April 2021 that within five years, childcare should cost an average of $10 per day across the country.
The federal government has pledged to invest $30 billion over the next five years and a minimum of $9.2 billion annually after that in order to achieve this goal. According to the Prime Minister’s office, the new system could lower day-care costs by 50% on average outside of Quebec by the end of 2022.
The federal government has begun discussions with provinces and territories about establishing this new early learning and child care system since the announcement. So far, agreements have been struck with seven provinces and one territory. Part of the agreements entails calculating how much money the federal government will give each jurisdiction to make child care more affordable and accessible, as well as to support child care providers through skills training and compensation increases.
This effort is intended to promote economic growth and social prosperity across the country.
“By building an early learning and child care system, we will make life more affordable for Canadian families, create new jobs, grow the middle class, increase women’s participation in the workforce, and drive strong economic growth across the country,” the Prime Minister’s office said when the announcement was made.
How might $10-per day child care impact immigrants?
This proposal is going to be a significant win for parents across Canada, particularly those in difficult situations. Immigrants are among the people who are most likely to benefit.
Immigrants are more likely to arrive in Canada while they are younger than the average Canadian. As a result, they are more likely to have younger families, making cheap child care essential. Immigrants, unlike the normal Canadian, may not have existing relatives and friends to care for their children, and they may not yet have a high enough income to purchase day-care. Immigrant women are typically the ones who face the brunt of this.
A shortage of affordable daycare choices is one of the reasons foreign women may struggle to integrate economically and socially in Canada. According to the federal government’s Budget 2021, the average monthly toddler fees in Toronto, which is the primary destination for new immigrants to Canada, are $1,600. For a typical family with two children, this amounts to more than $3,000 each month.
Newcomer women may be obliged to stay at home to care for their children if there are no inexpensive options. This makes it difficult for them to focus on their Canadian employment and form the social networks that are necessary for them to feel at ease in Canada. It’s no surprise that newcomer women have reported feeling alone in their early years in Canada, owing in large part to their child-care responsibilities, according to study.
As a result, it’s very likely that the $10-per-day child care programme will allow more immigrant women to pursue their careers. This would increase immigrant families’ purchasing power by allowing them to expect higher income while seeing their day-care costs reduce.
Need more insights? Keep following Canada Immigrations.
