This legislation is about the long term. This legislation entrenches into law the Government of Canada's vision for a Canada-wide early learning and child care system, which is that is that all families, regardless of their socio-economic standing or their racial identity, whether their child has a disability or needs enhanced or individualized support or where they live in Canada, will have access to high-quality, affordable, inclusive early learning and child care.
It includes this commitment of federal funding for the Canada-wide system, as well as with indigenous governing bodies, that goes beyond the current five-year agreements with provinces and territories. Then it lays out in clause 7 the principles that will guide those investment decisions. It sets the guideposts for federal engagement on early learning and child care from a Canada-wide perspective and ensures that the long-term funding is there to support it.
This legislation is about ensuring that a Canada-wide system of early learning and child care remains in place long, long into the future, benefiting future generations of families and children long after the benefits for those who are seeing those benefits today.