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 early learning and child care sector.

Further information about the role of the National Advisory Council is found in the terms of reference.

Current members

• Chairperson:
• Don Giesbrecht
• General members
• Morna Ballantyne
• Gordon Cleveland
• Marianne Cormier
• Linda Cottes
• Hawa Dumbuya-Sesay
• Amélie Lainé
• Brenda Lenahan
• Monica Lysack
• Sophie Mathieu
• Christine McLean
• Abiodun Odueke
• Amanda Pont-Shanks
• Alana Powell
• Christopher Smith

Chairperson

Don Giesbrecht — Winnipeg, Manitoba

Chairperson (full time)

Don Giesbrecht has worked in Canada's ELCC sector for over 32 years. He started his career as an Early Childhood Educator (ECE) in Winnipeg and most recently as CEO of the Canadian Child Care Federation (CCCF). He believes that the transformational change that the Canada-wide child care plan will bring for Canada's children, families and ELCC sector can address the interconnected issues of affordability and accessibility of child care services for families along with enhancing quality for children together with a specific focus and importance of Canada's ELCC workforce.

He has 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 also sat on the executive committee of the Child Care Human Resource Sector Council and served on other committees and in advisory roles in Canada's ELCC sector.

General members

Morna Ballantyne — Ottawa, Ontario

General Member (part time)

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 (part time)

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. Recently, he has served as a member of the Expert Panel on ELCC Data and Research. He is married, lives in Toronto, and has 2 daughters who attended licensed child care centres when they were young.

Marianne Cormier — Grand-Barachois, New Brunswick

General Member (part time)

For the past 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 francization 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 and the dean of 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 (part time)

Linda Cottes is an ECE dedicating more than 43 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 6 grandchildren who challenge her to imagine their future Canada-wide ELCC world.

Hawa Dumbuya-Sesay — Yellowknife, Northwest Territories

General Member (part time)

Hawa Dumbuya-Sesay is a social worker with over 10 years of experience. Hawa has held the position of Director of Child and Youth Services and other leadership roles within the context of social services programs.

Hawa has extensive experience working with families, victim services, youth, and adults with disabilities. She has worked in community development in Sierra Leone. Her work there included a project to reduce maternal mortality in rural areas and providing support to women and children arriving at shelters fleeing family violence. Hawa also worked extensively with people experiencing homelessness, poverty, and mental illness. Her broad worldview, compassion, and expertise are invaluable to ELCC. Hawa has a Master of Social Work from the University of Calgary.

As a mother to 4, Hawa has encountered many challenges in accessing childcare services or programs for her children in their tender years. She is eager to partake in the National Advisory Council on ELCC to help bring her ideas and input into making ELCC better for all Canadians.

Amélie Lainé — Quebec City, Quebec

General Member (part time)

Amélie Lainé is a member of the Wendake First Nation. Amélie began her career in an Indigenous environment more than 20 years ago. Since 2001, she has been working for the Regroupement des Centres d’amitié autochtones du Québec (RCAAQ), which is the Native Friendship Centres of Quebec. There, she oversaw program coordination before becoming Partnerships and Programs Director. In the course of her work at the RCAAQ, she addressed various issues including early childhood education, health and wellness, social services, and justice. She therefore has an overall picture of the needs, issues, and challenges of urban Indigenous families. Amélie’s motivation, commitment, and determination contribute to the outreach of the Native Friendship Centre Movement.

Brenda Lenahan — Tahsis, British Columbia

General Member (part time)

Brenda Lenahan is mom to a young son with health complexities who has inspired her involvement in advocacy and childhood disability research.

She founded the grassroots group BC Complex Kids in 2017. She works with families to advocate for access to equitable support across ministries, for kids with health complexities.

She is on the leadership team for Disability Without Poverty, a national group working to elevate the need for financial security for disabled people in Canada. She knows that children like hers are too often excluded from child care. Brenda hopes to bring the diverse needs of this demographic to the forefront. As a solo mom living in a remote village, she knows first hand the essential nature of this support. She knows that it takes flexible funding to ensure all families have the support they need to pursue employment and for their children to be included and thrive developmentally.

Monica Lysack — Regina, Saskatchewan

General Member (part time)

Monica Lysack is a passionate early childhood education and care (ECEC) researcher, advocate, and policy expert. Monica served as Special Advisor on Child Care to Ontario’s Minister of Education (2017 to 2018). She is an award-winning professor at Sheridan College (Oakville, ON). She is a former Sessional Instructor and Faculty Advisor with the University of Regina and Saskatchewan Polytechnic. She worked to deliver an innovative aboriginal 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 and chaired Saskatchewan’s participation for the Organisation for Economic Co‑operation and Development’s international review of ECEC. She has published and presented internationally and has served on several community and professional boards promoting women’s equality.

Sophie Mathieu — Beloeil, Québec

General Member (part time)

Sophie Mathieu has a Ph.D. in sociology and is a Senior Program Specialist at the Vanier Institute of the Family. She is a mother of 3 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 (part time)

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 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 (part time)

Abiodun Odueke is an educator and a mother of 2, one of whom is a special needs son. As a parent of a child with high needs, she has faced difficulties and barriers in accessing child care for him. Within the last 4 years, she has coordinated an early learning program for immigrant parents and children. She is also a community liaison for an immigrant-serving agency. She is passionate about making ELCC inclusive and accessible to all Canadians and connecting people with programs, resources and services.

She is particularly interested in inclusive child care for children with diverse needs and spends her spare time volunteering.

Amanda Pont-Shanks — Beamsville, Ontario

General Member (part time)

Amanda Pont-Shanks is a proud Citizen of the Metis 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. Since 2019, Amanda has been the Manager of ELCC: Programs and Services for the Metis Nation of Ontario. The programs created by Amanda and her team have supported thousands of Metis children across the province. Some programs include the Child Care Subsidy Program, Extra-Curricular Support, and Camps and Virtual Socials.

Amanda has advocated for Metis 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.

Alana Powell — Osgoode, Ontario

General Member (part time)

Alana Powell is a registered ECE, mother, and advocate. She believes we can create a Canada-wide ELCC system that responds to the needs and hopes of all children, families, educators and our communities. Alana is currently the Executive Director of the Association of Early Childhood Educators of Ontario (on parental leave until February 2023). She completed her Master of Early Childhood Studies at Toronto Metropolitan (formerly Ryerson) University. Alana continues to engage in research where she thinks with ethics of care in early childhood policy, practice, and advocacy.

Across all her work, Alana is committed to listening to and advancing the voices, experiences, needs, ideas, and hopes of ECEs, as they are the heart of meaningful caring and pedagogical experiences in ELCC.

Christopher Smith — Edmonton, Alberta

General Member (part time)

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.