Supreme Court to hear Quebec's challenge to daycare access for asylum seekers

The Supreme Court of Canada has granted leave to appeal to the Quebec government over a court ruling that granted children of asylum seekers access to subsidized daycare spaces. The Supreme Court of Canada is pictured in Ottawa on Monday, June 3, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

The Supreme Court of Canada says it will hear a challenge from the Quebec government to a lower court ruling granting asylum seekers access to subsidized daycare spaces.

In a decision released today, the Supreme Court says it will hear Quebec's appeal of a February 2024 decision from the province's highest court, which found that Quebec's daycare rules are discriminatory.

The Court of Appeal said asylum seekers who hold a valid work permit are entitled to register their children in Quebec's public daycare system.

The case originated with a woman from the Democratic Republic of Congo who had a work permit but whose three children were denied access to the heavily subsidized network.

They were denied because Quebec’s rules provided access to the system only once refugee status was granted by the federal government.

Spaces in the highly sought-after network cost roughly $9 a day.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 3, 2024.