October 20, 2025
Liberal Education Critic Iain Rankin has written to the Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development Brendan Maguire, urging the Houston government to reaffirm its commitment to the Canada-Nova Scotia Early Learning and Childcare Agreement.
Nova Scotia was once a leader in early learning – from the introduction of pre-primary to being one of the first provinces to sign on to the national childcare plan in 2021. That partnership with Ottawa set out a clear path to make childcare more affordable and accessible for families across the province.
“We’ve already seen the difference this agreement has made,” said Rankin. “Fees have been cut by about 50 per cent, and early childhood educators are finally seeing improvements in compensation. But while other provinces have kept building on that success, Nova Scotia has stalled.”
Under the agreement, the province is expected to reach $10-a-day childcare by March 2026, but the goal is now in question after recent comments from the Houston government. The federal government has confirmed that Nova Scotia hasn’t yet approached them to renew the deal, leaving families and operators uncertain about what comes next. It’s a disappointing turn from Minister Maguire, who celebrated the 2021 agreement as part of the Liberal government that signed it, but now blames that same deal for his own government’s delays.
“The funding is there to move forward, but what’s missing is a clear plan from this government to finish what was started,” said Rankin. “We should be strengthening the public and non-profit system that delivers sustainable, high-quality care and keeps affordability front and centre. Other provinces have already achieved $10-a-day childcare – there’s no reason Nova Scotia shouldn’t do the same.”