QUESTION PERIOD — Employment and Social Development
Support for Children and Families
October 23, 2024
My question is for the Government Representative. Montreal public health released a report last Monday on the health and development of Montreal children. The report focuses on inequalities and disparities.
High quality child care is recognized as an essential condition for the proper development of children. However, access to public child care for the children of asylum seekers is the subject of a legal tug-of-war between the federal and provincial governments. The precariousness of access to public child care is an obstacle to the francization and socialization of the children of asylum seekers.
Can the government ensure that federal funding for child care under Bill C-35 is actually used for public child care centres?
Thank you for the question. Pursuant to the agreement concluded between Canada and Quebec on the Canada-wide early learning and child care component, Quebec intends to use a significant portion of the contributions paid under this agreement to fund other improvements of its own early learning and child care system.
This includes the increase of more than 30,000 subsidized reduced-contribution child care spaces and a significant investment in the programs and services for families and children.
Quebec will also use the funding to accelerate the development of child care spaces through measures such as reviewing and optimizing the process related to the development of centres de la petite enfance, or CPEs, authorizing the use of temporary facilities, and providing additional incentives for home child care providers.
I agree with everything you said. I also read the report. However, how do we ensure that the children of asylum seekers can access the public services offered by the CPEs? That is the only way for the parents to take the francization courses and for the children to socialize.
I agree that francization and integration are very important. As you know, this case is currently before the courts, so I am not at liberty to speak to the matter.
