A recent report from Statistics Canada has revealed that child care in Canada became more affordable in 2023. However, parents are facing more difficulty in finding child care for their children. The report, released on December 5, indicated that expenses for full-time centre-based child care decreased from an average of $663 per month in 2022 to $508 in 2023. This decrease was attributed to many provinces and territories implementing lower child-care fees.
Despite the decrease in costs, the report also found that more parents are struggling to find available child care. The proportion of parents who reported having difficulty finding child care increased from 53 percent in 2019 to 62 percent in 2023. Furthermore, the report revealed that 26 percent of parents with children aged five and under who were not using child care reported that their child was on a waitlist—a notable increase from 19 percent in 2022.
The federal government has taken steps to address this issue by signing separate agreements with provinces and territories to establish $10-a-day child care by 2026. However, the rollout of this initiative has varied across different parts of the country.