The Quebec Court of Appeal upheld a decision to grant access to subsidized daycare to asylum seekers and their children

Children of asylum seekers in Quebec now have access to subsidized day care centers.

As of 2018, a decision by the then-provincial Liberal government, backed by the CAQ, meant that even people with work permits could not access subsidized daycare.

But this has been disputed in court since 2019. The Committee for Access to Kindergarten in 2022 won their case, and Quebec's Court of Appeal upheld the decision this week.

It is seen as a victory for asylum seekers like Maria from Angola.

“I am very happy because our children were accepted today,” he said at a press conference on Friday. “It was difficult for us single mothers, asylum seekers, we left our countries for various reasons to save our lives and the lives of our children.”

Maria and her daughter left Angola and came to Quebec a year ago. She said she was at a disadvantage when she was kicked out of a subsidized kindergarten.

“After coming to Canada, we have the power to work for a better life,” he said. “But without kindergartens, it was difficult for us to integrate. It's hard to find housing and work.”

Now he and others like Ileana from Nicaragua can continue their lives here.

“I'm happy to be more active in Quebec, we are people who come to join the community,” Ileana said.

“This decision is good for us, because the government supports us,” Maria said.

The Quebec Court of Appeal has ruled that the exclusion of asylum seekers from daycare “constitutes discrimination based on sex.”

“Courts find that the government has discriminated against an entire group of women, and they find injunctions as an immediate remedy,” said Guillaume Grenier, an attorney on the case.

The discount now applies to asylum seekers with a work permit. But they are usually given within a few months of arrival.

Maryse Poisson, director of social initiatives and partner at Collectif Bienvenue, says: “We know a lot of families who went to stand in line yesterday, because everyone lives in Quebec, so we are very happy now.” Founder of Kindergarten Access Committee.

“We're not talking about any kind of preferential access to subsidized childcare for applicants to sign up for, it's the same access services as everyone else,” said Marisa Berry Mendez of Amnesty International Canada Francophone. “The lack of opportunities and places is not due to the presence of immigrants, but rather due to a lack of adequate funding and priorities from successive governments.”

The government has 60 days to decide whether to appeal to the Supreme Court.

“We hope this time they will adopt court decisions and integration policies so that refugee applicants can study French jobs and take care of their children,” Poisson said.

Ileana appealed directly to the government.

“We don't want them to complain about it,” he said. “On behalf of single mothers, we hope to be integrated and active in society.”