BC just tied child care to a billion-dollar federal deal. It’s time for other provinces to pay attention.
British Columbia and the federal government have signed the Canada-British Columbia Cooperative Prosperity Agreement, a multi-billion-dollar package headlined by infrastructure and energy projects. Sitting quietly in the middle of the announcement is the line that matters for our sector. The agreement “advances shared commitments to workforce training and child care.”
Why would an infrastructure deal mention child care at all? Because BC made the case that you cannot build major projects without workers, and you cannot keep workers without child care. That framing, child care as economic infrastructure negotiated alongside tunnels and transmission lines, is exactly the argument the sector has been making for years.
The timing gives it weight. The Canada-wide agreements face open questions beyond 2026, and provinces are moving in different directions. BC put a $330-million lift into ChildCareBC in its 2026 budget while others have trimmed part-time funding. When one province successfully attaches child care to a federal prosperity deal, it sets a precedent every other province can point to. This is a model worth studying and, frankly, worth copying.
Read the announcement: news.gov.bc.ca
