National Advisory Council on ELCC Established

Summary#

An Order in Council brings sections 9 to 15 of the Canada Early Learning and Child Care Act into force on the day the order was made (September 25, 2026, registered October 7, 2026). That step creates a permanent, statutory advisory body for federal early learning and child care policy: the National Advisory Council on Early Learning and Child Care (ELCC).

What it does#

• Brings sections 9 to 15 of the Canada Early Learning and Child Care Act into force, which legally establishes the National Advisory Council on Early Learning and Child Care (ELCC).
• Converts the existing ministerial advisory group into a permanent, legislated council with rules on membership, functions, and operations.
• Keeps the Council’s mandate to provide expert advice and a forum for consultation on early learning and child care matters.
• Leaves the actual appointments of Council members to a separate Governor in Council process; current members were extended temporarily while the transition happened.
• The government says this change will not cause any significant new federal costs because the ministerial Council already operates.

Who's affected#

• People and organizations involved in early learning and child care: providers, advocates, researchers, and caregivers who currently interact with the ministerial Council.
• The federal ministers who receive the Council’s advice: the Minister of Jobs and Families and the Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario.
• The existing council members: the inaugural ministerial group included 15 Council members (a full‑time chair and 15 others); 13 out of the 15 confirmed they would continue during the transition.
• Employment and Social Development Canada, which supports the Council and will run the appointment and transition process.
• Some stakeholders who raised concerns about representation, including calls for clearer distinctions-based Indigenous representation on the Council.

Why it matters#

• Making the Council statutory gives it permanency. That means ongoing, formal federal access to expert advice on child care policy beyond temporary ministerial arrangements.
• The Council can influence how federal early learning and child care programs and funding are designed and reviewed. That could affect available services and priorities over time.
• The change aims to keep continuity of advice during the federal effort to build a Canada-wide child care system, which the government committed to in Budget 2021.
• Some groups want stronger rules on who must be represented on the Council. The government says it will focus on diversity in future appointments, but the law does not yet prescribe specific representation.