Quebec prioritizes daycare spots for residents over asylum seekers
The Coalition Avenir Québec will create two tiers of daycare access, reserving subsidized $9.65-per-day spots first for Quebecers and permanent residents. Asylum seekers will access remaining spots.
The day's top stories, food & events — every morning at 7. Unsubscribe anytime.
Quebec will allocate spots in subsidized daycare centers in two tiers, with Quebecers, permanent residents, and foreign workers holding closed work permits getting priority over asylum seekers and international students.
Families Minister Catherine Blouin announced Wednesday, June 17, that she will soon table a draft regulation to implement the changes. The move follows a Supreme Court decision that struck down Quebec's original ban on asylum seekers' children accessing daycare at $9.65 per day.
"We're simply going to prioritize families who are already settled in Quebec over asylum seekers," Blouin said at the National Assembly. "We're not excluding them. Initially, the question was whether to exclude them. Now, we're going to give them spots while prioritizing families in Quebec."
Blouin framed the approach as pragmatic, noting that subsidized spots are limited and Quebec families are waiting for access. However, Québec solidaire MNA Andrés Fontecilla criticized the plan as "a purely electioneering tactic" and a "new lottery system."
"If the CAQ had kept its promise to expand the CPE network, we wouldn't be in this situation," Fontecilla said. Premier Christine Fréchette praised the announcement as addressing "a concern among Quebecers—namely, ensuring daycare spots for the children of Quebecers and foreign workers settled here."