A new report from the Centre for the Study of Living Standards found that roughly 332,200 Canadian families faced childcare access barriers in 2025 that delayed a parent's return to work, even as the country's $10-a-day childcare programme (a federal initiative launched in 2021 to reduce fees and create 250,000 regulated spaces) successfully lowered costs for those who already had a spot. Economists estimate that resolving those access gaps could add between $10.9 billion and $15.6 billion annually to Canada's GDP, dwarfing the $2.7 billion gain already achieved through increased maternal employment. The report identifies a shortage of qualified early childhood educators and a lack of spaces in underserved communities as the primary obstacles, calling on governments to treat childcare workforce investment as economic infrastructure.