Five years after the launch of Canada’s $10-a-day national child-care plan, the program faces significant challenges in meeting its original promises. Introduced in 2019 with $30 billion in federal funding, the initiative aimed to create 250,000 new child-care spaces and reduce fees to an average of $10 per day by March 2026. While some progress has been made, many key targets remain unmet, and concerns about funding, workforce shortages, and accessibility have emerged across the country.

The plan, formally known as the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care (CWELCC) system, was endorsed by all provinces and territories through five-year agreements signed by spring 2022, although Ontario and Alberta have since opted for shorter one-year extensions. Despite these agreements, several provinces have expressed the need for increased federal funding to sustain and expand the program as initially envisioned.

One of the major obstacles cited is a nationwide shortage of qualified early childhood educators. Ontario alone is estimated to require up to 10,000 additional educators by the end of this year to meet expansion goals. The shortage has resulted in thousands of licensed spaces remaining vacant, hampering efforts to increase capacity and reduce fees across the country. Advocacy groups and policy experts emphasize the need for higher wages and greater investment to attract and retain staff in the sector.

Although the reduction in fees has been one of the program’s more visible successes, progress has been uneven. Provinces such as Quebec, Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and the three territories have reached the $10-a-day target. Conversely, larger provinces like Ontario, Alberta, and British Columbia have reduced fees by approximately 50 percent but have yet to achieve the target rate. The limited availability of spaces and slower-than-expected expansion have also led to increased waiting lists and frustration among families.

Morna Ballantyne, executive director of Child Care Now, a national advocacy organization, warned that financial sustainability concerns pose a risk to the program’s future. Ballantyne noted that the federal government’s recent decisions—including ending a $625-million infrastructure fund supporting the creation of non-profit child-care spaces—signal wavering commitment. She highlighted the broader social and economic implications of the program, particularly its potential to boost women’s labor force participation and contribute to gender equality.

Data from Statistics Canada indicates that demand for child care continues to outpace supply, with 31 percent of parents of children under five reporting their child was on a waiting list in 2025, up from 26 percent two years earlier. Among those using child care, many face challenges finding affordable and available care in their communities.

Several provinces have flagged concerns regarding the program’s original principles, including restrictions on for-profit center expansion and the lack of means-testing, with some proposing alternative models such as targeting subsidies more directly to low-income families or allowing more private sector involvement.

The federal government maintains that the program has expanded affordable child-care access for more than 900,000 children and contributed to near-record labor force participation rates among mothers of young children. However, continued delays in creating new spaces and workforce challenges underscore the complexity of building a sustainable national child-care system.

In British Columbia, an announced pause on program expansion due to funding concerns exemplifies the difficulties faced. Meanwhile, families like Taryn Greig from Vancouver remain on waiting lists after years of trying to secure affordable care, illustrating the gap between the program’s goals and lived realities.

As the program moves into its next phase, provinces, advocates, and federal officials continue to debate the best strategies to fulfill the promise of accessible, affordable, and high-quality child care across Canada.