Minister Bibeau and MP Duguid highlight child care investments in Budget 2021

Ottawa, Ontario - Budget 2021 is the Government of Canada’s plan to finish the fight against COVID-19 and ensure a robust economic recovery that is inclusive of all Canadians.

Today, the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, the Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, and the Member of Parliament for Winnipeg South, Terry Duguid, met with women farmers from Manitoba to discuss the experiences of women in agriculture and investments from Budget 2021: A Recovery Plan for Jobs, Growth, and Resilience.

Women in Canada’s agricultural sector contribute daily to farming and food establishments across Canada, while raising the next generation of Canadian producers. Budget 2021 proposes new investments totaling up to $30 billion over the next five years in early learning and child care. Combined with previous investments, a minimum of $9.2 billion per year ongoing will be invested in child care, starting in 2025-26. These investments will help support women, including those in agriculture, and reduce the demands placed upon them in the care economy.

The plan will aim to reduce fees for parents with children in regulated child care by 50 per cent on average by 2022, with a goal of reaching $10 per day on average by 2025-26 for all regulated child care spaces in Canada.

Budget 2021 is a plan to bridge Canadians and Canadian businesses through the crisis and towards a robust recovery. It is a plan to drive economic growth, a plan to secure women’s place in the workforce, and a plan to offer each and every child in Canada the best start in life. It proposes to extend business and income support measures through to the fall and to make investments to create jobs and help businesses come roaring back. It will support almost 500,000 new training and work opportunities including 215,000 opportunities for youth. Budget 2021 is a plan that puts Canada on track to meet its commitment to create 1 million jobs by the end of the year.

Canada entered the pandemic in a strong fiscal position. This allowed the government to take quick and decisive action, supporting people and businesses, and put it in the position to make historic investments in the recovery.