This commentary focuses on the role of the Canadian federal government in early childhood development policy. The commentary begins by exploring the twin pillars of Canada's family policy, income support and services, then asserts that policy must move beyond these traditional provisions to offer early childhood development initiatives that will benefit children in all circumstances. The commentary further describes the "sorry" state of early childhood development in Canada, addressing the issues of early years learning, decreasing federal funding, inadequate supply and uneven quality, and children with disabilities. The commentary then advances three options for federal action on early childhood development: (1) creation of a National Child Development Fund, whose guiding principles would be comprehensiveness, universality, accessibility, quality, and accountability, with desirable practices of service integration, mixed delivery, and a community base; (2) block financing; and (3) federal-only measures. The commentary concludes by noting its strong support for option 1, although a combination of options 2 and 3 would be preferable to the status quo. (Contains 14 references.) (EV)