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David Whissell, the Charest Liberals' minister responsible for the Laurentian region, says he is proud of the government that the government is advancing and increasing its commitment towards families in the region. According to Whissell, 1,331 new subsidized daycare spaces will be created in the Laurentians over the next two years. "I am very satisfied with the increase that my government has announced in the Laurentians," he said.
'Laurentians prioritized'
"Once again, I stepped up efforts to seek out a fair share for the region. We must remember that this increase in daycare spaces is one of the most important that has ever been announced. One more time this year, I made sure that the daycare needs of the Laurentians would be carefully taken in account, which is why our region was prioritized."
"This is great news," said Marc Gascon, president of the Conférence régionale des élus des Laurentides (a provincial/municipal advisory body). "Our organization led a study on the needs of parents last winter. We are, therefore, aware of the relief that this announcement represents for families in the region."
Region developing: Whissell
Whissell says the Laurentian region is developing in leaps and bounds on a variety of levels, including a birth rate that is climbing, residential development that is rising and an increasing need for labour in different sectors of economic activity. It is with these challenges in mind, and the labour market as it currently stands, that the Liberals say they are trying to reconcile the conflict that occasionally comes up between work and family. Whissell maintains the announcement of more daycare spaces encourages continued economic growth in the Laurentians.
20,000 spaces is goal
Whissell says the Liberals government has an understanding of the needs families in the Laurentians have been expressing, including additional financial resources, quality services and more time. He says that during the 2007 electoral campaign, Premier Jean Charest's team committed itself to adding 20,000 more spaces to the daycare network before the end of 2012. He says the government today is accelerating and prioritizing that commitment in view of the important needs.
More help in 2009
"The refundable credit for children's support, the Quebec parental insurance plan, subsidized daycare and municipal family policies are just some of the policies that directly help," Whissell says, referring to Laurentian families' needs. He adds that in addition to the new spaces that have been announced, an addition to the tax credit for daycare expenses will allow parents to benefit from financial support regardless of the type of daycare they choose, up to a revenue per family of $80,000, in January 2009.
Whissell says he is disappointed by the alarmist and disquieting of the reaction the opposition has had to the Liberals' efforts in this dossier. He noted that the Laurentians fared well in the allotment across the province of daycare spaces, coming in fourth behind Montreal, the Montérégie and Laval.
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