The children of asylum seekers should have access to the network of early childhood centers (CPE) in order to promote the integration of their families, says former Prime Minister Pauline Marois, who also pleads for their number to respect the demographic weight of Quebec.
The Quebec government adopted a regulation in 2018 depriving asylum seekers of subsidized childcare services. The decision has since been challenged in court and Quebec’s case was rejected in the Court of Appeal.
The Legault government announced this winter that it was taking the case to the Supreme Court.
Questioned on this subject on the sidelines of a panel on Quebec’s family policy, Thursday morning, Mme Marois said he believed that the CPE network should welcome “all those who live here.”
Rather than wanting to restrict access to this service, the government should concentrate its efforts on reducing the number of asylum seekers it welcomes on its territory. Since Quebec “is right to lead this battle,” she said in an interview with The Canadian Press.
“Not because we are not generous, but because at a given moment there is no more space to do it,” continued Mme Marois.
According to her, asylum seekers should be better distributed across Canada in order to avoid over-representation in Quebec and Ontario.
“If we have a reasonable number that is in line with our demographic weight, we should offer the service to everyone who lives here. Because if we want them to integrate, to participate in Quebec society, we must offer them services,” said the woman who established the CPEs in 1997 when she was Minister of Education and of the family.
Last February, the Court of Appeal ruled that asylum seekers holding a work permit could indeed entrust their children to a subsidized childcare service and thus benefit from the reduced contribution.
The court ruled that the government’s regulation discriminates against women and contravenes the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
For his part, the government lawyer had argued in particular that the objective of the legislator is to “give financial assistance to people who have a sufficient link with Quebec”.
He added that the State cannot take for granted that a person who requests asylum will stay in Quebec.