The promise of Éric Duhaime and the Conservative Party of Quebec (PCQ) to free up 30,000 daycare spaces “in a few days” could be difficult to achieve due to the lack of staff in the private daycare network.
On Thursday morning, Mr Duhaime said that “within days” his party could “solve the problem for more than 60% of parents waiting on the waiting list”, the equivalent of 30,000 of the 52,000 parents in waiting for a place in daycare.
The PCQ proposes giving parents vouchers of $200 per week per child to defray the cost of a place in private daycare.
Asked to justify his figures, Mr. Duhaime said Monday to refer to data provided by an association of non-subsidized private daycare centers (GNS).
“We estimate that there are more than 30,000 vacancies in the GNS. These places could be made instantly available to parents,” argued the Alliance Québécoise des Garderies Privées Unsubsidised (AQGPNS) in a press release on September 21.
The Alliance relies on a survey of 174 owners of private daycare establishments showing that on average, 30% of their places are vacant.
But during an exchange with The duty, its president, Khalid Daher, agreed that the daycare centers concerned did not have enough staff at their disposal to accommodate all these children in a few days. “If we apply what Duhaime proposes for conversion, I will manage because I have educators in Morocco and France who want to come. It will take me a month, two months, three maximum, to get them to come with the accelerated procedure. »
The AQGPNS also criticizes the State for “cannibalizing” its personnel because its employees leave it to work in the subsidized network where salaries are better. The government certainly offers the possibility for private daycare centers to join the subsidized network, but the plan’s deadlines (5 years) are too long, deplores Mr. Daher, who owns a daycare center in the Saint-Michel district of Montreal.
In this context, Mr. Duhaime’s proposal is a real lifeline for his company. “If I don’t have grants in the following months, I won’t be there. I had 80 children and now I only have about 30. »
Not applicable in the region
The conservative model would also be difficult outside major centers, agrees Mr. Duhaime. “Obviously we need a more differentiated approach. The government has a role to play for these territories,” he replied at a press briefing on Monday morning. And how would a Conservative government intervene? A parliamentary committee would look into the matter first, he said.
The Conservative leader adds that it is because of this that he claims to be able to offer 30,000 places and not 52,000 in the short term. “That’s why we said 60%, not 100%. […] Of course, in the big centres, it’s easier because there is proximity and the distances are shorter. »