Martha Friendly

Martha Friendly’s lifelong work, as a leading member of the Canadian childcare movement, has been to champion an equitable childcare system for all. Born in New York City and raised in its suburbs, she immigrated to Canada in 1971 as part of the Vietnam War-era exodus from the United States. A social science researcher by trade, she began working on early childhood education and childcare research in the 1960s.

Becoming part of grassroots childcare activism in Toronto in the 1970s firmly cemented her belief that access to quality childcare is central to women’s equality. In the 1980s, Martha founded the Childcare Resource and Research Unit at the University of Toronto’s Urban Centre as a policy research institute with a mandate to bring about a universal childcare system — a role that the now independent organization continues to play.

Martha is the author of numerous articles, reports, and two books on childcare policy. She is the recipient of many awards, including an honorary doctorate from Trent University and the Charles Taylor Prize for Excellence in Policy Research (2021).

“Having worked for universal childcare at the intersection of research, advocacy, and policy for almost 50 years, I’ve been privileged to be part of a broad social movement that views access to quality childcare as a woman’s right, a child’s right, and a human right.”