Question Period Note: Tabling of Employment and Social Development Canada’s Supplementary Estimates (B) for Fiscal Year Ending March 31, 2026

Why is Employment and Social Development (ESDC) requesting a transfer of $1.5 million from
the Public Health Agency of Canada to the Department of Employment and Social
Development, and a transfer of $2.8 million from the Department of Employment and Social
Development to the Department of Indigenous Services for the Indigenous Early Learning
and Child Care Transformation Initiative in the Supplementary Estimates (B) for fiscal year
ending March 31, 2026?

Indigenous Early Learning and Child Care investments are managed through a
partnership model between the Government of Canada and Indigenous partners.
• Indigenous partners are at the forefront of decision-making on funding allocations,
plans and priorities and have the flexibility to request that some, or all, of their funding
be advanced through existing agreements with other federal departments.
• First Nations partners in the Atlantic region and Alberta have requested adjustments to
the delivery arrangements for 2025 to 2026 Indigenous ELCC funding. To implement
these leadership requests, approval is sought to transfer funds between departments in
the amounts cited above.
• This request aligns with broader Government of Canada commitments outlined in the
co-developed Indigenous ELCC Framework and corresponding investments provided
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through Budget 2017, the 2020 Fall Economic Statement and Budget 2021 to improve
access to high quality, culturally appropriate ELCC for Indigenous children and
families.

Total: Indigenous Early Learning and Child Care Transformation Initiative
Funding (in $) and Full
Time Equivalent (FTE)
Existing Funding
(Main Estimates
2025-26)
Supplementary
Estimates (B)* Total Funding
Grants and
Contributions (Vote 5) 311,094,200 -1,309,066 309,785,134
Budget 2017 committed $1.7 billion over 10 years, starting in 2018 to 2019, to support Indigenous
Early Learning and Child Care.
In September 2018, the Government of Canada released the co-developed Indigenous ELCC
Framework alongside leaders from the Assembly of First Nations, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, and the
Métis National Council. The Indigenous ELCC Framework sets out a vision and principles for an
Indigenous-led ELCC system and is a guide for all actors in the Indigenous ELCC sphere.
Subsequent incremental investments were provided to support the establishment of the
Indigenous ELCC system through:
• 2020 Fall Economic Statement ($145 million over 5 years and $225 million annually
ongoing);
• Budget 2021 ($2.5 billion over 5 years and $542 million annually ongoing)
The Indigenous ELCC Transformation Initiative is a horizontal initiative across four federal
departments. Flexible programming authorities enable Indigenous leaders to direct Indigenous
ELCC investments toward a broad range of ELCC priorities (e.g. expanding access, recruiting
educators, supporting cultural and linguistic revitalization) and to support Indigenous children and
families no matter where they live in Canada (e.g. on reserve or in urban centres). The Initiative
uses a partnership model to facilitate Indigenous-led decision on national and regional priorities
and associated funding allocations.
The Indigenous ELCC Transformation Initiative also aligns with broader Government of Canada’s
priorities relating to Indigenous peoples including Reconciliation and a nation-to-nation
relationship.
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Key Quotes
“My hope is for a Canada where all Indigenous children have the opportunity to experience high?quality, culturally rooted early learning and child care programming, that reflects the unique
cultures, aspirations and needs of First Nations, Inuit and Métis children – Indigenous leadership
is helping that vision come to life.”
- Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Jobs and Families, 202

Under the Indigenous Early Learning and Child Care Transformation Initiative (Indigenous
ELCC Initiative), Indigenous partners have the flexibility to request that some or all of their
funding be advanced through existing funding agreements with federal departments that
deliver Indigenous ELCC programs. These departments include Employment and Social
Development Canada, Indigenous Services Canada, the Public Health Agency of Canada
and Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada.
• Direction from Indigenous partners on how to advance different streams of funding under the
Indigenous ELCC initiative is received at different intervals during the fiscal year, requiring
transfers and adjustments through the Supplementary Estimates. This approach aligns to
Government of Canada commitments in the co-developed Indigenous ELCC Framework
around ‘flexible approaches’ and ‘streamlined administration.’