Alberta is one of two provinces that have not come to an agreement with the federal government on an extension for its child-care agreements.
On Thursday, the Government of Canada announced it has reached agreements with 11 of 13 provinces and territories to extend funding for early learning and child-care agreements until March 31, 2031 – with the exception of Alberta and Saskatchewan.
Matt Jones, Alberta’s minister of jobs, economy and trade, called the current child-care agreements “underfunded” and “unfair to the majority of child care providers in Alberta” in a statement Thursday.
“Despite an estimated 100,000+ children on waitlists, a $4+ billion cumulative funding gap by 2030/31, and significant concerns raised by parents, providers and Alberta’s government, the federal government has shown no willingness to consider necessary changes to these agreements,” Jones said.
“As the extension proposed by the federal government does nothing to address these concerns and those of parents and providers, Alberta will instead work in good faith with the next federal government to structure a viable, fair, and sustainable agreement.”
The new federal agreement extension provides an additional $36.8 billion over five years and includes a three per cent funding increase every year for four years, starting in 2027-2028.
“In the past few weeks, we’ve been working with our provincial and territorial partners to make sure that families can rely on this system, not just for years to come, but will allow this system to lock in, to become something that no government a year from now, five years from now, 20 years from now, could ever go back on,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Thursday.
“It’s hard to do, because there is nothing one government can’t do that can’t be undone by the following government, unless Canadians are very clear on the need to keep this going.”
Ontario has an agreement in principle with the federal government, but not a signed deal.
Alberta and Ontario have criticized the current deals for not having enough funding to ensure the success of the program.
Both provinces have also been asking for more flexibility, particularly in regards to the number of for-profit operators within the program.
“Ultimately, if sufficient funding and the required flexibility are not provided, Alberta’s government will be unable to proceed with a renewal and will be forced to transition out of what is, and will be, an unsustainable program,” Minister Jones said.
As part of funding deals with the federal government, Alberta is aiming to bring down licenced child-care parent fees to $10 per day by the end of March 2026.
According to the federal government, child-care fees in Alberta have been reduced to $15 a day on average as of February 2025, with an estimated annual savings of $13,700 per child.
Alberta has committed to creating up to 68,700 new child-care spaces by March 31, 2026, including at least 42,500 non-profit and up to 26,200 for-profit spaces.
A total of 31,400 spaces have been created since 2021, the federal government said.
Starting on April 1, the province is implementing flat fees for parents with children up to kindergarten age attending licensed daycare facilities and family day home programs.
For full-time care, parents will be eligible to pay $326.25 per month, while parents requiring part-time care will pay $230 per month.
Parents with children in preschools will instead have a reduction of up to $100 off their monthly fees, as opposed to a flat monthly parent fee.
With files from The Canadian Press
