In April 2021, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau proposed an average cost of 10$ daily for childcare in the country’s next five-year plan. To achieve this goal, the federal government has committed to investing 30 billion dollars over the next five years and at least 9.2 billion annually (after these five years). The Prime Minister’s Office announced that the new system could reduce kindergarten costs by an average of 50 percent across Canada by the end of 2022.
The federal government has entered into discussions with various provinces and territories about the new education system implementation, and childcare has reached an agreement with seven states and one territory. Part of the agreement is dedicated to the amount of funding that the federal government has set aside to make preschools more affordable and support child care providers.
In this plan, support for child care service providers in kindergartens is possible through free training of skills necessary for them and an increase in their wages.
The rationale behind this initiative is to stimulate economic growth and social well-being across Canada.
After the announcement, the Prime Minister’s Office of Canada explained: “By creating a lower-cost education and child care system, we are making life more affordable for Canadian families and creating new jobs. This work has increased the standard of living of the middle class of society, increased the participation of women in the effective workforce, and is a significant step towards high economic growth across Canada.”
How does childcare costing 10$ a day affect Immigration to Canada?
This policy may be an excellent promise for all parents of young children across Canada and especially for parents who are facing vulnerable conditions. Immigrants are among those who benefit the most from this policy and decision.
Those who decide to immigrate to Canada do so at a younger age than the average age of Canadians; this means they tend to have younger families and so access to affordable childcare services is of utmost importance to them. Unlike Canadian natives, immigrants may not have enough income to pay for the high costs of kindergartens. And in this situation, it is the immigrant women who bear the heaviest burden of responsibility and pressure.
One of the reasons why new women arriving in Canada may have problems participating in economic and social work in this country is the lack of affordable kindergarten centers. For example, in Toronto, which is considered the perfect destination for immigrants in immigration to Canada, the average monthly cost of childcare for toddlers is $1,600, according to the federal government budget for 2021. This rate is estimated to be more than 3,000$ per month for a typical family with two children.
It hinders their ability to pursue their work and profession in Canada seriously, as well as their ability to form effective social ties. Therefore it is not surprising if the immigrant women have reported that in the early years of their arrival in Canada, they feel isolated and secluded due to the responsibility of taking care of their children.
Therefore, it is very likely that the $10 per day childcare plan implementation will enable more immigrant women to pursue their careers in this country. This plan also represents a blessing for the Canadian labor market; in the coming decades, this country will see all 9 million of its native children reach retirement age and face the problem of population aging.
Another main benefit of the scheme is better educational and social outcomes for new arrival children, as they will have access to more learning opportunities and opportunities to make new friends.
In 1997, the Canadian province of Quebec’s female labor force participation rate was four percentage points lower than the rest of the state. But after introducing an affordable childcare system, the rate has reached four percent higher than the national average.