The Legault government is partially suspending its directive that would have expelled many immigrant children with open work permits from subsidized daycares and early childhood centres (CPEs).
This directive from the Ministry of Family Affairs (MFA), published earlier this month, targets children whose parents have open work permits. It stipulates that these foreign workers are not eligible for the $9.35 daily rate for childcare.
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Following a backlash, the MFA asked the network “not to terminate the agreements of children who already have a place before the end of the current checks,” indicated the Minister of Families, Suzanne Roy, on the social network X, on Friday.
Le règl. s’applique toujours, notamment pour les nouvelles admissions. Les parents qui ne sont pas admissibles ne pourront bénéficier d’une place subv. Le MFA demande au réseau de ne pas mettre fin aux ententes des enfants qui ont déjà une place avant la fin des vérif. en cours.
She clarified that the directive still applies to new admissions. “Parents who are not eligible will not be able to benefit from a subsidized place,” said Roy.
Several families said this week that their children, who have been attending subsidized daycare for more than a year, are at risk of eviction.
Reacting to the challenge to the directive earlier this week, the minister mentioned that “the MFA will analyze the files of children who are already receiving services” before taking any action.
Québec solidaire spokesperson Guillaume Cliche-Rivard said he was relieved by the Legault government’s change of heart on Friday.
“It was the only thing to do,” he said in a statement. “Not only would it have taken children away from their living environment, but we have also seen numerous examples in recent days of immigrant parents who would have had to leave their jobs in essential sectors, as care workers, and even as daycare teachers.”
A permanent withdrawal required
The Fédération des intervenantes en petite enfance du Québec (FIPEQ), affiliated with the CSQ, also welcomes the decision. However, she hopes that the government will “definitively renounce this unfair measure for these immigrants who are trying to earn an honest living and integrate into Quebec society.”
“I urge the Minister of Families to quickly take stock of this issue and to make the withdrawal of this directive permanent, to remove the concerns that persist among these families,” said the president of the union organization, Anne-Marie Bellerose, in a statement.
She also calls on the minister to order the reintegration of children into educational services, who have already lost access to their reduced-contribution places.
According to the July 9 directive, foreign workers with a closed work permit, which specifies a specific employer and the duration of employment, can enroll their children in Quebec’s subsidized daycare system. Those with an open work permit, which allows them to work for any employer in Canada, are not eligible for a reduced-contribution space.
The directive is based on the Reduced Contribution Regulation, which has existed since 1997. Roy argued Wednesday that this rule “must apply” and that it “exists out of concern for fairness to Quebec families waiting for a place.”
On Tuesday, two couples of immigrant parents, originally from France and Ukraine, threatened the MFA with legal action, calling the directive “invalid and illegal.”
Lawyers for these families argued that the existing rules do not prevent foreign workers with open work permits from enrolling their children in the subsidized system.
The FIPEQ-CSQ also said it wondered about the new interpretation of the Regulation respecting the reduced contribution. According to the union, it “goes against the practices that have been in place for several years and which were authorized by both the Ministry and the coordinating offices.”
— With information from Maura Forrest
–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews
