Private subsidized daycares protest despite warnings from minister

QUEBEC CITY – Hundreds of private subsidized daycare operators defied ministerial orders on Wednesday and took to the streets in protest.

Daycare operators wore blue squares and banged on pots and pans, a reference to last year’s student protests. They denounced the Family Minister’s “unfair” budget cuts.

Isaac Sachs owns a daycare in Côte-des-Neiges. He said for him, the cuts represent roughly the salary of one employee.

“Just imagine running a car with one wheel less,” he said. “It isn’t fair.”

Last month, to help achieve zero deficit, Nicole Léger asked the province’s richest public daycares to hand over $31 million. She told private subsidized daycares they’d also have to contribute, to the tune of $15 million. Private operators refused and called for a day of action, despite repeated warnings from the minister they would get slammed with hefty fines if they did. About 300 daycares shut down for the day, leaving parents in a bind and the premier unimpressed.

“They have a contract in which they promise to offer services, they should honour it,” said Pauline Marois in Question Period.

Liberal leader Philippe Couillard argued the PQ is in no position to try to muzzle protesters.

“I would like to know by which logic the sound of certain pots and the colour of certain squares appear more sympathetic to the government than others, given the fact they participated themselves when the squares were red and they banged the pots, so how come these pots and these squares are not treated the same way,” said Couillard.

Private daycares believe its ideology. The PQ could be saving in infrastructure costs, they said, but instead constantly chooses to invest in public daycare.

“Why give 85% of places to CPEs when they cost more to society,” argued daycare owner Bambina Gagliaidi. “You’re having a problem with finances and you still want to spend more in CPEs when they cost more to taxpayers. It’s a nonsense.”

Protesters warn it’s not over. They hope to put enough pressure on the minister in the days to come to make her backtrack.