Members of the National Advisory Council on Early Learning and Child Care
The National Advisory Council on Early Learning and Child Care (ELCC) brings together caregivers, practitioners, academics and advocates with diverse backgrounds. They advise the federal government on the issues and challenges facing the ELCC sector.
Further information about the role of the National Advisory Council is found in the terms of reference.
Current members
Chairperson
Don Giesbrecht — Winnipeg, Manitoba
Chairperson
Don Giesbrecht has worked in Canada's ELCC sector for over 36 years. He started his career as an Early Childhood Educator (ECE) in Winnipeg and is the CEO of the Canadian Child Care Federation (CCCF). He believes the Canada-wide child care program has brought transformational change for Canada's children, families and ELCC sector. He underscores that the program must continue in order to properly address the interconnected issues of the foundational importance of the ELCC workforce, along with affordability, accessibility, inclusion and equity of child care services for children and families.
He previously chaired the CCCF, the Manitoba Child Care Association, the Alberta Resource Centre for Quality Enhancement and he was a member of the Expert Panel on ELCC Data and Research. He was also on the executive committee of the Child Care Human Resource Sector Council and contributed to several other committees and advisory roles in Canada's ELCC sector.
General members
Morna Ballantyne — Ottawa, Ontario
General Member
Now a grandmother, Morna Ballantyne began advocating for more high-quality, affordable, inclusive licensed child care when her first child was born. For 40 years, she has worked with others to develop and advance evidence-based public policy options to address systemic barriers to child care access in Canada. She serves as the Executive Director of Child Care Now, Canada’s national child care advocacy association. It brings together individuals and organizations who seek to participate in the building of a high-quality, publicly funded system of ELCC. She has extensive leadership experience and works professionally as a consultant strategic planner and facilitator. She has significant subject expertise in social policy, labour relations and human resources, human rights, and strategic communications. Morna served on the Government of Canada’s Task Force on Women in the Economy. She was also a member of the Expert Panel on ELCC Data and Research.
Gordon Cleveland — Toronto, Ontario
General Member
Dr. Gordon Cleveland taught economics, mostly at University of Toronto, for 25 years and is Emeritus Associate Professor since 2016. His research output includes the analysis of the costs and benefits of ELCC. It also includes the ways in which different Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries finance their child care programs. He has examined the determinants of quality in child care, the factors affecting child care workers’ wages, and ways of measuring child care affordability.
Dr. Cleveland authored Affordable for All: Making Licensed Child Care Affordable in Ontario, a comprehensive report published in 2018. He writes regularly on child care policy issues, and publishes a regular blog called Child Care Policy - Research by Economists About Early Childhood Education and Policy. He is married, lives in Toronto, and had two daughters who attended licensed child care centres when they were young.
Marianne Cormier — Grand-Barachois, New Brunswick
General Member
For over 20 years, Marianne Cormier has been promoting and fostering research to better understand early childhood education. She has also been working to increase university training for ELCC. She is particularly interested in educating minority language groups. She has conducted research on the language learning of young children and on supporting parents who do not speak the language of their children's school or daycare centre. She believes that it is critical for all Canadian families to have access to high-quality ELCC services.
Marianne has a Ph.D. in minority language education from the Université de Moncton where she is currently a professor in the Department of Elementary Education and Educational Psychology in the Faculty of Education. She has published on language revitalization in the International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism.
Linda Cottes — Maple, Ontario
General Member
Linda Cottes is an ECE dedicating more than 46 years to the profession. She is the Senior Vice President for Child and Family Development for the YMCA of Greater Toronto. Linda has been actively promoting high-quality, affordable, inclusive and accessible child care for decades. She is eager to share her experience and knowledge of the sector and contribute to the evolution of the Canada-wide ELCC system.
Linda is particularly interested in advancing the recognition of ECEs in Canada, strengthening the value for the profession and appreciation for the sector as a whole. She has chaired and participated on many advisory committees and councils with government and community groups. She has also participated on committees with mandates ranging from regulations to standards of practice for ECEs to opening emergency child care in the midst of COVID-19.
Linda's greatest joy is her six grandchildren who challenge her to imagine their future Canada-wide ELCC world.
Hawa Dumbuya-Sesay — Yellowknife, Northwest Territories
General Member
Hawa Dumbuya-Sesay is a social worker and non-profit executive with over 15 years of experience supporting women, children, and families in northern and remote communities. She has served as the Executive Director of the YWCA Northwest Territories for over five years, providing strategic leadership across housing and shelter services, family violence prevention, child and youth programming, child care and legal advocacy.
Hawa brings expertise in organizational leadership, crisis intervention, systems advocacy, and culturally responsive service delivery, with a strong commitment to equity and trauma-informed practice. She holds a Master of Social Work from the University of Calgary and is a mother of four, bringing both professional and lived experience to her work supporting families and communities across the North.
Brenda Lenahan — Tahsis, British Columbia
General Member
Brenda Lenahan is the Founder and Executive Director of the BC Complex Kids Society, a grassroots, family-led organization working to influence provincial and federal policy to advance equity for families raising children with disabilities and health complexity. Brenda brings both professional and lived expertise to her advisory work as the lone parent of a child with a rare genetic neurodevelopmental condition. A disability rights advocate, her work focuses on systems-level change across health, disability, education and early learning and child care to improve inclusion and outcomes for children with medical complexity and their families.
Monica Lysack — Regina, Saskatchewan
General Member
Monica Lysack is a passionate early childhood education and care (ECEC) policy expert, researcher, and advocate, who served as Special Advisor on Child Care to Ontario's Minister of Education (2017 to 2018). She is a former award-winning professor at Sheridan College (Oakville, ON), Sessional Instructor and Faculty Advisor with the University of Regina and Saskatchewan Polytechnic and developed an innovative Indigenous ECE program at the Regina Friendship Centre. As a former official with the Government of Saskatchewan, she participated in the federal/provincial/territorial Early Childhood Development Working Group, chairing Saskatchewan's participation for the Organisation for Economic Co‑operation and Development's international review of ECEC. Monica has published research and presented at international conferences, sharing her expertise and insights on ECEC. She has actively served on various community and professional boards, advocating for women's equality and promoting advancements in ECEC policy and practice.
Sophie Mathieu — Beloeil, Québec
General Member
Sophie Mathieu has a Ph.D. in sociology and is an Assistant Professor at the Université de Sherbrooke School of Applied Politics. She is a mother of three children who have attended child care centres in Quebec. Sophie specializes in the study of gender inequalities, social reproduction, and work-family balance. In the course of her research, she has documented the transformation of Quebec's family policy, with particular attention to changes in the Québec Parental Insurance Plan (QPIP). She also documented the successes and challenges of the Québec model of early childhood care. She has published in the Canadian Journal of Sociology; Interventions économiques / Papers in Political Economy; The Canadian Review of Sociology; Enfances Familles Générations; Journal of Childhood Studies; Relations Industrielles/Industrial Relations; and Social Politics. She is also a frequent contributor to the print and broadcast media on issues related to child care in Quebec.
Christine McLean — Hammonds Plains, Nova Scotia
General Member
Dr. Christine McLean is an Associate Professor of Child and Youth Study at Mount Saint Vincent University (MSVU) in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She is a passionate ECE advocate and researcher. She has worked in the field of early childhood education in Nova Scotia and in Newfoundland and Labrador for over 30 years in a variety of capacities. Christine has travelled across the country presenting at ECE conferences and professional development events. She has also volunteered with several provincial and national early childhood care and education organizations. Currently, she is an executive member of the Canadian Association for Young Children and former Vice President of the Canadian Association for Research in Early Childhood. She holds a Bachelor of Child Study degree from MSVU, a Bachelor of Education from Acadia University, a Master of Early Childhood Education from University of Cincinnati, and a Ph.D. in Early Learning from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto.
Abiodun Odueke — Calgary, Alberta
General Member
Abiodun Odueke is an early learning and child care (ELCC) professional and community leader with experience spanning education, child care, immigrant and newcomer services, and provincial regulation. She currently works in a provincial role supporting licensed programs to strengthen quality, compliance, and inclusive practices. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Education, which grounds her work in evidence-based pedagogy and child development.
Before immigrating to Canada, Abiodun worked in child care and taught middle and high school in Nigeria. Over the past eight years in Canada, she has worked in the child care sector, coordinated innovative early learning and parenting programs for immigrant families, and served as a community liaison, connecting immigrant and newcomer families to programs, resources, and support.
As a mother of two, including a child with high support needs, Abiodun brings valuable lived experience navigating barriers to inclusive child care. She is passionate about advancing equitable, accessible, and inclusive ELCC systems, particularly for children with diverse needs.
Amanda Pont-Shanks — Beamsville, Ontario
General Member
Amanda Pont-Shanks is a proud Citizen of the Métis Nation of Ontario, with her family connecting to the Red River Settlement in Manitoba. Amanda is a Registered ECE and a graduate of Niagara College's Early Childhood Education Program and has an Honours Bachelor of Early Childhood Education from Brock University. Since 2019, Amanda has been the Manager of ELCC: Programs and Services for the Métis Nation of Ontario. The programs created by Amanda and her team have supported thousands of Métis children across the province. Some programs include the Child Care Subsidy Program, Extra-Curricular Support, and Camps and Virtual Socials.
Amanda has advocated for Métis inclusion in the early years and K-12 sector for over 12 years. Her areas of interest include creating equitable and culturally-safe spaces for all children. Amanda is passionate and excited to be part of the National Advisory Council for ELCC.
Christopher Smith — Edmonton, Alberta
General Member
Christopher Smith, Ph.D., is the Associate Executive Director for the Muttart Foundation, a private charitable foundation based in Edmonton. He has lead responsibility for the Foundation's work in the area of ELCC.
Christopher also serves on the Steering Committee for the Community University Partnership for the Study of Children, Youth and Families at the University of Alberta. He is a member of the Edmonton Council for Early Learning and Care. He formerly served as a member of the Expert Panel on ELCC Data and Research. He is also the former chair of the Success by 6 Council of Partners for the Alberta Capital Region.
Christopher grew up in the United Kingdom, before moving to Canada to pursue graduate studies. He holds a doctorate from Simon Fraser University.