There are thousands of children in Quebec stuck on daycare waiting lists due to a lack of available space, an overwhelmed system and a nagging worker shortage.
The Coalition Avenir Québec government promised to create an additional 13,500 spots in the province’s Centre de la petite enfance (CPE) network when it came into power. According to Quebec Liberal Party (QLP) MNA Marc Tanguay, they have failed to make any headway.
The Eastern Townships was promised 595 spots, however, in a press release, Tanguay noted that the government has only reached 11 per cent of its goal in the region. He also confirmed that the waiting list for CPEs has reached 50,000 names across Quebec.
“The truth is that the Coalition Avenir Québec is incapable of developing spaces, incapable of reducing the waiting list, incapable of stopping the closures of daycare services and incapable of responding to the crying needs of parents in the Estrie region,” said Tanguay.
Isis Dostie, executive director at the CPE L’Oiseau D’Or in Lennoxville, told The Record in an interview that the problem is simple: the CAQ, and previous governments, constantly push daycare services and workers to the side.
For full story and others, subscribe now.
