Canada’s care economy has been pushed to its limit during the pandemic, after decades of underspending that had left care sectors (e.g. health, childcare, elder care, domestic work) in a state of disorder, caregivers overwhelmed, and more people in need of care. Globally, even before the pandemic hit, 42% of women of working age said they were unable to do paid work because of their unpaid care and domestic work responsibilities – compared to just 6% of men. The repeated lockdowns of the pandemic had a profound impact on the heavy and unequal unpaid care responsibilities within households that mostly fall on women.
The government’s historic $30-billion investment in a universal early learning and child care system across Canada was a huge step forward, which child care advocates have been pushing for decades. The 2021 federal budget also included close to $3 billion over five years, starting in 2022-23, to help ensure provinces and territories provide a high standard of care in long-term care (LTC) homes. In addition, provincial LTC taskforces have been established and there are early movements to establish national standards for LTC to promote quality care.
However, there is still a way to go in building equitable care systems for all who need it. Expansion of child care is dependent on the creation of more child care spaces and growth in the child care labour force, both of which require further investments and targeted actions. The child care workforce has been undervalued for decades and this neglect has led to a recruitment and retention crisis. Reaching the target of 200,000 new child care spaces in the next five years will require an investment upwards of $10 billion.
The government should also work with the provinces and territories to ratify the International Labour Organization Convention 189 on the protection of domestic workers, who remain at high risk of exploitation.
