CHILD CARE
W hen a Manitoba family is expecting a baby, words of congratulations are often followed by "you'd better get on a wait list." Across the province, many parents face uncertainty about whether they will secure a childcare spot in time to return to work. A 2025 study by the Manitoba Child Care Association found that one in two families delayed returning to work because of childcare challenges. Elisabeth Saftiuk, vice-president of policy and government relations at the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce, says that child care must be viewed as more than a family issue. "As a chamber of commerce, fram- ing matters. If we are serious about strengthening our economy, we must treat child care as core infrastructure that enables participation in the work- force and align our systems with the realities of modern families,” she says. "When child care is accessible, affordable and reliable, it sup- ports workforce participation,
recruitment and retention. But when it is not, it limits opportunity, it con- strains productivity, and it influences whether young families can remain in a community.” Labour force participation among core-aged women (25-54) reached a record 85.5 per cent in 2024, according to Statistics Canada. But Saftiuk says that progress does not represent an improvement in how systems support the realities of parents. In a society where many families rely on two incomes, conventional work hours often do not align with school drop-off and pick-up times, leaving parents to manage a patchwork of before and after school care and school transportation logistics.
"If we are serious about strengthening our economy, we must treat child care as core infrastructure that enables participation in the workforce and align our systems with the realities of modern families."
– ELISABETH SAFTIUK, VICE-PRESIDENT, POLICY AND GOVERNMENT RELATIONS AT THE MANITOBA CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE
19 SUMMER 2026
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