Why a Mobility Justice Approach is Needed in Canada’s Early Learning and Child Care Workforce

Immigration is increasingly being used as a policy lever to address labour shortages in Canada’s early learning and child care (ELCC) sector, linking Canadian child care centres to global care chains in new ways. Using a mobility justice lens and 16 in-depth interviews with newcomer early childhood educators in Newfoundland and Labrador, this article examines how power and inequality shape their experiences. It identifies exploitation, deskilling, and blocked mobility as key challenges, calling for ethical, equitable strategies to sustain and build Canada’s ELCC workforce.