A rally was held by childcare advocates and parents in front of the Saskatchewan Legislative building Tuesday, as calls for the province to sign an extension with the federal government for $10 per day daycare continue.
Those at the rally expressed their disappointment with the province and feel many families will be put in a tough spot if an extension of the program known as the Canada-wide Early Child Care system continues to go unsigned.
Many at the rally also told CTV News they been reaching out to the Ministry of Education for months urging for a change to funding for the program, adding that the current funding model has put some childcare centres as risk of closure.
Those at the rally said around 800 childcare spaces could be lost in the coming months if an extension to the agreement continues to be negotiated and not signed.
“If daycares start closing that’s putting families out of childcare and that’s going to make families make some tough decisions,” rally organizer and parent Breanne Arnold said. “Do they call grandparents out of retirement or do they have to quit their jobs to stay home with kids? When spots start closing, they are not going to be easily popping up again,” she added.
The province has maintained that they continue to look forward to negotiating and signing the new childcare agreement with the federal government, adding the extension of an agreement should include discussions around feedback received from them.
The province said it also wants further discussions around the long-term sustainability of the program so it may continue to add childcare spaces and provided benefits to Saskatchewan families and operators for years to come.
Saskatchewan and Alberta are the only two provinces that haven’t signed an extension with Ottawa to keep $10 per day childcare a reality until at least 2031.
The current agreement expires in March of 2026.
Last month Premier Scott Moe said he is confident the province will sign an extension.
“I would expect we will.” Moe said in March when asked why Saskatchewan has yet to sign an extension with the federal government. “Credit to the federal government, each provincial program is somewhat different and that is the outcome of signing bilaterals as each program is different with a little bit different focus,” he said.
Ottawa committed nearly $37 billion for the program from 2026 until 2031, with each province receiving a different amount based on their own needs.
Saskatchewan joined the program in 2021 when an agreement was initially announced.
“A lot of women were able to go back to the workforce because of it. It was life changing for adorability in a world that’s already so expensive,” Arnold said.
-With files from Angela Stewart
