Hello, everyone. Good morning. Ullaakkut.

It’s a pleasure to be here with Ministers Vandal and Gould… but it’s also good to see Premier Akeeagok and Minister Gross as well.

All Canadians deserve high-quality affordable childcare.

The rising cost of living… we need to continue to be there to support families from coast to coast to coast; that's exactly what we're doing. We've good news to announce today that we've reached an agreement with Nunavut that will cut average childcare fees in half by the end of this year and meet the $10-a-day target by March 2024 -- that is two years ahead of the federal schedule. Savings on childcare for families in Iqaluit is estimated at around $14,000 a year, and the Government of Nunavut will create 238 new spaces by 2026.

Nunavut has been working constructively with us from the very beginning, and I want to thank Premier Akeeagok for his collaboration and his leadership. I know there are specific and direct challenges in the north, and that's where we've been so pleased to be able to work together to reach this landmark agreement.

I also want to thank the educators for everything they do as well in the north.

Ma’na. Quana. Qujannamiik. Ai (inaudible).

Thank you to all of our daycares. We'll continue working with representative Inuit organizations to ensure that children have access to Inuit-specific Indigenous childcare through Indigenous early learning and childcare as well.

We’re here for families and for the middle class. No mother, a parent, should have to choose between their family and their career, and that’s why these agreements are going to help parents across the country.

This is the 12^th agreement signed with provinces and territories right across the country. We are closer than ever before to a national early learning and childcare program. The reduction of fees have been announced and are already impacting on families in places like Nova Scotia, Alberta, Prince Edward Island, and Saskatchewan.

 And I think back to the families and the educators I've met across the country as we’ve worked on these deals, on these agreements to support people. This is a game changer for so many families to see childcare fees cut in half by the end of this year, to know that $10-a-day childcare, affordable, high quality, more spaces, supported educators, are only a few years away and getting the work on now. These are things are going to make a massive difference at a time when we know Canadians are facing rising costs for so many things.

Dropping the prices of childcare in places where childcare fees have always been far too high is going to make a huge difference in the lives of kids who access high-quality education to be able to start Grade One in the best possible way. Families, not just supporting in terms of affordability, but also being able to make those choices about resuming careers or engaging in the career that you've always wanted. And for our economy as well, making sure there are more women joining the workplace, more choices, better opportunities for people to re-engage. These are things that are going to help grow our economy at a time where we are looking for people to fill good jobs across the country.

I'm excited about this announcement and look forward to the impact it's going to make in real families right across the country.

Today we're beginning a three-day Cabinet retreat. Obviously, we'll be talking about COVID, about the economy, about housing, about growing the middle class, about climate change, and about global issues important to Canadians and important to the world. We will continue throughout being focused on delivering real positive change for Canadians because, like we've shown with childcare, governments that work together and step up can make a real impact in Canadians’ health, well-being and economic future.