Excerpts
Asylum seekers in Quebec have taken to the courts in hopes that their children can access spots in subsidized daycares.
Their access to affordable childcare had been withdrawn by the Liberal government in April 2018 and the class-action lawsuit alleges that this discriminates against women who want to seek work as they wait for their refugee status.
The children of asylum seekers were allowed up to one year in subsidized daycare but a directive from Luc Fortin — the minister of families at the time — modified the interpretation of that policy, barring access to the service.
The mothers of preschool aged children waiting for their status were henceforth forced to stay home even if they had a work permit, a situation that disproportionately affects single mothers, according to the lawsuit.
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The plaintiffs replied that the decision to give access to childcare is exclusively within the province’s jurisdiction and that Quebec hasn’t waited on federal funding to provide healthcare, public school and other government services.
Most asylum seekers don’t have sufficient resources to pay for private daycare and must often turn to social assistance, according to the suit.
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