Immigrant families threaten legal action over new directive limiting daycare access

MONTREAL – Two families are threatening legal action over the Quebec government’s move to deny some immigrants access to subsidized daycare spots.

The two sets of parents, from France and Ukraine, are at risk of losing their children’s spots in a subsidized home daycare that costs $9.35 per day. 

The Quebec government recently sent out a new directive stating that foreign workers with open work permits are not eligible for subsidized daycare. 

The government says it’s enforcing an existing rule, but lawyers for the parents say the province is creating a restriction that is invalid and illegal.  

Unions representing daycare workers say hundreds of children could lose their daycare spots because of the new directive. 

The government says there’s a high demand for daycare spots in Quebec, and calls the restriction “a matter of fairness.” 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 23, 2025. 

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