Conservatives vote in favour of bill enshrining long-term funding for child-care system

OTTAWA -- 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.

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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.

The bill also has to pass in the Senate before it can become law.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 19, 2023.

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  Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, Karina Gould speaks during a press conference to provide an update on collective bargaining and labour disruptions in the Core Public Administration and the Canada Revenue Agency in Ottawa, on Wednesday, April 19, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Spencer Colby