March 3, 2022 Yellowknife, Northwest Territories Employment and Social Development Canada
Too many families across Canada lack access to high‑quality, affordable, flexible and inclusive child care. That is why the Government of Canada has laid out a plan to provide families in Canada with, on average, $10‑a‑day child care for children under six years of age by March 2026. This plan will make life more affordable for families, create new jobs, get parents- especially women-back into the workforce, and grow the middle class, while giving every child a real and fair chance at success.
Today, Karina Gould, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, along with the Honourable R.J. Simpson, Minister of Education, Culture and Employment of the Northwest Territories, announced that licensed child care fees for Northwest Territories families with children under six years of age will be reduced by an average of 50%, retroactive to January 1, 2022.
Families will be reimbursed 50%, on average, for licensed child care fees paid from January 2022 to March 2022. They will also see that fee reduction moving forward. Families in the Northwest Territories could save up to $4,950 per child by the end of 2022.
Today's announcement means that the governments of Canada and the Northwest Territories have achieved their goal of reducing licensed child care fees by 50%, on average, one year ahead of schedule. This is a significant step toward the goal of achieving an average of $10-a-day out-of-pocket fee for families whose children attend licensed early learning and child care in the Northwest Territories by March 2026.
More than half of Canada's provinces and territories have announced the implementation of child care fee reductions, working toward the commitment under the Canada-wide early learning and child care agreements to reduce fees for licensed child care spaces by 50% on average by the end of 2022. The governments of Quebec and Yukon have already achieved an average cost of $10 a day or lower for regulated child care.
A Canada-wide early learning and child care system is becoming a reality across the country. The Government of Canada will continue to work with provinces, territories and Indigenous partners to make life easier and more affordable for families.
