The Canadian Press
Ottawa: The Trudeau Liberals say they plan to spend $195 million in the coming years on research to close data gaps on child care in Canada.

The money is coming out of funds pledged in this month’s budget towards child care that the Liberals say could potentially create subsidized spaces, and help more parents enter the workforce over the coming years.

Last week’s budget said a lack of affordable, high-quality child care means some parents have to “sacrifice retirement savings” to cover fees of up to $20,000 a year, or leave the workforce because “child care is unavailable or unaffordable.”

The Liberals pledged to spend $7 billion over a decade on child care, starting with $500 million in the new fiscal year that starts in April, increasing to $870 million annually by 2026.

Part of the money will also go towards funding indigenous child care on and off-reserve.

Funding can’t flow without the Liberals first signing one-on-one funding agreements with provinces and territories.