Passing through Montreal on Thursday morning, the leader of the Conservative Party of Quebec (PCQ), Éric Duhaime, said that “freedom of choice” is also to promote competition between CPEs and private daycares. A necessary measure so that “parents do not become hostage to a public monopoly”, according to him.
“I wanted to meet the representatives of the private daycare centres, because they give us the assurance that, very quickly, they will be able to fill the missing places”, affirmed the conservative leader in a room with colored walls of the Belagir daycare center. , in the borough of Saint-Léonard. After Quebec, Mauricie and Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean, Éric Duhaime hopes to garner more support in the Montreal region.
If elected, Mr. Duhaime promises to eliminate public funding for CPEs and subsidized daycare centers during his term. Parents would benefit from childcare vouchers of $200 per week per child.
Asked whether this amount will be sufficient – since each childcare service will be able to set its own rate – Éric Duhaime replied that he did not have “infused science”. Parliamentary committees would be set up to look into the matter, he said. He also denied wanting to “dismantle the network” by promising to open dialogue.
The approximately 52,000 names on the waiting list to obtain a subsidized place constitute “one of the dark pages” of the Legault government, according to Éric Duhaime. “It is not normal that taxpayers pay such a high price for such a system and that tens of thousands of young people do not have access to this service,” he insisted.
The Conservative leader also deplores the fact that a parent who works outside the typical 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. schedule must finance the Quebec early childhood network without having access to it.
“Frankly retrograde” ideas, says QS
On Thursday, Québec solidaire spokesperson Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois began a press briefing by describing Éric Duhaime’s commitment to “defund CPEs” as “frankly retrograde”. He also fired an arrow at the leader of the PCQ about his promise to exploit Quebec’s oil and gas if he is elected.
“I think that in Quebec we want to move forward in the environment, we want to move forward in equality between men and women,” said Mr. Nadeau-Dubois. We do not want to back down on these values, which are Quebec values. »
According to the solidarity leader, Mr. Duhaime should try to be elected as governor of Texas rather than as premier of Quebec. “He would be a lot more in his place. »
Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois says he was shaken by the promise to “defund CPEs”. Since his arrival in the Gaspé, “barely 24 hours ago”, a dozen people have told him that they cannot return to the job market for lack of childcare places, he underlined.
With Francois Carabin