QUEBEC CITY — Quebec’s Family Minister said that parents who pay for a daycare spot and don’t use it will be sanctioned.
On Thursday, Francine Charbonneau tabled Bill 27, legislation she hopes will optimize subsidized childcare services.
“If you use a service, you have to be responsible for what you do,” the minister said.
“If you take your car, you’re responsible, if you go shopping you’re responsible, if you have a credit card, you’re responsible.
“Why is that when you have a service, you’re not responsible?”
For example, Charbonneau won’t tolerate mothers on maternity leave paying for spots to reserve them while keeping their children at home.
If Bill 27 passes, those mothers won’t lose their spots, but they’ll be fined $60 dollars a day for three months. Daycares at fault will also be fined, up to $1000 each time.
“This minister has decided that she’s going to go get some money off the backs of parents,” said AQCPE President Gina Gasparini.
“She’s going to fine them and penalize them and suspend them — all sorts of actions against parents who are at no fault but to be victims of a system that doesn’t work.”
According to the Robillard report tabled on Sunday, in 2013-2014, there were more than 10 million hours of unused daycare services.
That’s $280 million paid for what the commission calls “ghost places.”
Opposition parties accuse the Liberals of mismanaging the system.
“It’s terrible. No sensibility. It’s not fair you know; they’re not fair with the public daycare system,” said Françoise David from Québec Solidaire.
READ MORE: Péladeau enters PQ leadership race, sovereignty his only goal
The Parti Quebecois tabled a confidence motion in the House Thursday that by definition was meant to bring down the government.
But since the Liberals have a majority, the motion was defeated.
Still, the opposition invites Quebecers to rally and denounce this latest tax.
“We will not give up,” PQ interim leader Stéphane Bédard said.
Charbonneau said everyone will get a chance to comment on the bill when parliamentary hearings begin, likely in February.
Comments