Thank you for your question.
I would like to start by clarifying that in Quebec, spaces cost $7 for all families, but that they are free for 20.5 hours per week for families receiving income security. Moreover, if they have a certificate from a health care professional, care may be provided full-time, if it is possible to prove that being in child care full-time is good for the children. Considerable steps are taken so that the most underprivileged children can have access to educational services. It is important for them, so that they are better prepared to start school, and consequently, to continue down their life path.
Often, criticism revolves around equity. People ask why they pay $7 when some people have very high incomes. I attempted to explain it quickly. On the one hand, children must have access to educational services. We know that it is of the utmost importance for them to be successful in school and for them to develop fully. The calculations in the examples that I provided earlier covered higher-income families. The example is contained in the document that I did not have translated, but I do have copies that I will leave on the table before leaving. Families in higher brackets—in other words, families earning $93,000 and more and that represent 20% of the population of Quebec—pay, through their income tax, $9.60 more per day. So they are paying $16.60, whereas income taxes for families with the lowest incomes—those earning less than $24,000 per year, in other words 20% of families—pay an additional contribution of $0.30. That makes their total $7.30. It is a universal measure everyone has access to by paying $7.00 on daily basis. Generally speaking, the tax system establishes the contribution of households with higher incomes. The system is based on a universal vision where everyone contributes to supporting the education of young children. It is very important.