Five Years of Expanded Childcare in Canada: Why Haven’t More Mothers Joined the Workforce?

March 2026 marks five years since the federal government launched the Canada‑Wide Early Learning and Child Care (CWELCC) program to expand universal childcare across Canada. But contrary to expectations, labour market participation of mothers with young children has seen limited progress outside Quebec. 

While other factors were at play during this period, it appears that the scope of the CWELCC agreements, both in lowering childcare fees and increasing access to licensed spaces, has not been enough to narrow the participation rate gap with Quebec. Notably, childcare fees still average $22 per day in Ontario and $37 in British Columbia—far from the $10 federal target. Meanwhile, the proportion of Canadian parents reporting difficulty finding childcare has increased, despite the creation of new spaces.

Although Quebec is a clear leader, with higher levels and faster progress for mothers’ participation rate, it is not immune to policy challenges. In fact, Quebec—like all provinces—has seen its waitlist balloon in the last few years. 

If the federal and provincial governments want to meet their engagements and targets, they must prioritize rapidly building new centres and converting more spaces into licensed low‑cost childcare spaces. They also need to pay attention to the negative impacts that Return-to-office (RTO) policies may have on women’s workforce participation.