Family and Education

SUMMARY

Raising a family in Quebec should be a pleasure and an accomplishment free from unnecessary complications. But. as it turns out. rigid and inefficient bureaucratic structures can sometimes make it far more convoluted and expensive than it needs to be.

Quebec's model of family assistance is discriminatory and penalizes many children and parents. By opting for a quasi-monopoly on childcare, the Liberal. PQ and CAQ governments have all neglected the differences inherent in the situations of each family unit. reduced the diversity of solutions available, and even spawned a new waiting list!

A Conservative government will give parents more choices and end the state's mismanagement of early childhood services.

A Conservative government will also change the way schools are funded in order to democratize school choice for parents. School funding will flow through the parents. It should not be up to our children to adapt to a rigid system. Rather, it should be up to the system to provide alternatives that rise to the diverse needs of families.

DID YOU KNOW?

  • The Ministère de la Famille has proven incapable of creating new childcare spaces quickly enough to meet demand.
  • The shortage of childcare spaces disproportionately affects women and exacerbates the existing labour.
  • Numerous studies have demonstrated that parents' employment rates can be improved-and at lower cost to the taxpayer-by funnelling support directly to families in lieu of subsidizing large bureaucratic structures.
  • Because of the cumbersome bureaucracy, it takes at least three years to build a public childcare centre (CPE).
  • The birth rate in Quebec has been below the threshold for population renewal since about It now stands at about 1.5 children per woman.
  • The state of our schools is deteriorating. 53% of them are in poor or very poor condition, school dropout rates are increasing, and teachers are leaving the profession at an unsustainable pace.
  • Vocational training is being neglected and Quebec is suffering from labour shortages in many skilled trades, including electrical, welding, carpentry, plumbing, IT, and logistics fields.
  • Many developed countries, such as Denmark, Sweden, the United States and New Zealand, have successfully adopted a competitive approach to school funding.
  • Numerous and repeated violations of freedom of expression in Quebec's CEGEPs and universities were documented during the Cloutier Commission's hearings on academic freedom in the university environment.

CONSERVATIVE VALUES 

  • Education is a key element for success in life and a represents a crucial stage in the younger generation's journey to personal autonomy. We must therefore do everything possible to make it easier to raise a family in Quebec so that we may foster the development of happy and accomplished citizens.
  • The strength and influence of a people depends on education as a catalyst for individual autonomy and fulfilment. The realization of one individual's full potential is also closely linked to the ability of every individual among us to earn a good living and to make good use of the skills they have developed primarily through education. 
  • The family is the most fundamental institution in our society and the backbone of our nation. A nation is a family of families! When this core institution is under strain, the resilience of the entire nation is weakened.
  • All children should have access to a system of childcare that stimulates and challenges them, thereby promoting healthy development.
  • Parents must have the freedom to send their children to the childcare centre of their choice.
  • Rather than subsidizing one-size-fits-all services, the state should support parents and families directly wherever possible. This will foster a market for services that is able to respond more quickly and effectively to the specific needs expressed by families.
  • Quebecers are justified in expecting government to spend taxpayer money responsibly to create childcare spaces, rather than allowing their ideological biases to favour one sector over another.
  • Competition and diversity in education and childcare systems will lead to a network that is more flexible, more successful, and more attractive to edcuators.
  • By redirecting resources and decision-making power to the people who work most directly with students, i.e., principals, teachers, and parents, we can ensure that the best possible decisions are made in the interests of the students and their success.
  • A government that truly values the success of young people does not implement levelling-down policies, but rather encourages a culture of effort and discipline while nurturing the self-actualization of the children and students.
  • Diversity in the educational environment must also include the diversity of ideas. Freedom of expression is a value that must be firmly defended.

THE CPQ IS COMMITTED TO MAKINC THE CHILDCARE SYSTEM ACCESSIBLE TO ALL

THE CPQ IS COMMITTED TO:

  • Providing a voucher worth $200 per eligible child per week to cover the cost of By the end of the CPQs first term, this program will allow parents to choose the childcare option that suits them best. be it a private daycare, a home daycare, or a CPE.
  • Issuing this voucher to either parent of the child, provided at least one parent is working full-time. A proportional voucher will be provided to those working part-time.
  • Increasing the $8.70 per day that parents currently pay for subsidized private daycare, or a CPE, as the childcare voucher increases to $200. This will reduce the amount of subsidy paid to subsidized daycares and to CPEs. The voucher will be phased in over four years, eventually replacing public funding for CPEs and subsidized childcare services, as well as advance reimbursements for childcare costs. When the voucher reaches $200 per week per child, the rate for daily childcare will be deregulated, and childcare centres will be able to set their own price for services.
  • Allowing any qualified person to open a childcare centre in accordance with government standards, provided that they are able to self-finance the service offered. Waiting lists will quickly disappear while competition between centres will allow parents more choice in the hours and nature of services offered.

THE CPQ IS COMMITTED TO SUPPORTING FAMILY SOLIDARITY

THE CPQ IS COMMITTED TO:

  • Maintaining the family allowance program in full and increase it annually in line with the cost of living and inflation.
  • Providing an additional tax credit for households that give birth to, or adopt, more than two children.
  • Facilitating adoption processes for citizens wishing to act as foster families for children placed under the authority of the DVP, thus promoting the primacy of parents.
  • Abolishing the transfer tax on the purchase of a home for families with two or more minor children (this program will only be available once per household).
  • Intervening at the municipal level to reduce the restrictiveness of rules regarding the construction, development. or conversion for resale of intergenerational homes.
  • Increasing substantially the caregiver tax credit to the level of the costs that the state would have to bear if the person in question were housed in an institution.

 

THE CPQ IS COMMITTED TO SERVING THE DIVERSITY OF EDUCATIONAL NEEDS

THE CPQ IS COMMITTED TO:

  • Introducing an education voucher system that allows all parents to choose the best school for their children. whether that be private or public. As a result. the schools that offer the best training and that are best adapted to the needs of the pupils will be favoured by the parents. This will improve the quality of service for all families. including children from disadvantaged backgrounds.
  • Promoting school autonomy by increasing the responsibility of the school boards to transform them into true governing bodies. and by allowing school principals to exercise full leadership in both pedagogy and administration. Management of the hiring and supervision of teachers. specialists and support staff will be entrusted to the school principals in collaboration with the existing service centres.
  • Launching a major initiative promoting literacy and the quality of the French language.
  • Encouraging private investment in education. such as in health and ventilation systems. in order to upgrade our school facilities more quickly and A CPQ government will also encourage the establishment of charter schools. These schools promote parental accountability, the service of special needs. both private and community investment. and are found everywhere else in North America.
  • Increasing school maintenance budgets and set up a province-wide initiative for the creation of new and modern schools. and for the renovation of schools still in acceptable condition.
  • Ensuring that air and water quality in schools meets the highest standards.
  • Implementing a strategy to increase graduation rates. particularly in vocational and technical fields. in order to meet employers' expectations and catch up with the averages in other developed countries.
  • Changing student loan and bursary programs in order to stop penalizing students who are also working.
  • Offering enhancements to scholarships, loan repayment programs. etc.. for students working in essential and understaffed sectors such as agriculture. elder care. health care. etc.

 

THE CPQ IS COMMITTED TO PROTECTING FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AND ACADEMIC FREEDOM

THE CPQ IS COMMITTED TO:

  • Defending freedom of expression in universities by strengthening student democracy. Law 32 on the accreditation and financing of student associations will be amended so that all students, whether full- or part-time, will have the opportunity to elect their executives and accredit their representative associations via secret ballot over the This provision will limit the use of funds by certain associations that lack any clear mandate from the students despite being funded primarily through fees collected at registration. At present these associations have access to large sums of money that they use to subsidize causes that are often external to student life, while muzzling debates and speakers they disapprove of. It is these same groups that impose illegal strikes on students, depriving them of a normal academic career. Strengthening student democracy will limit these abuses and foster a healthier intellectual climate in our colleges and universities.
  • Guaranteeing academic freedom within higher education by committing universities to the prompt establishment of committees monitoring freedom of A thorough assessment of the activities of these committees will be produced before the end of the CPQ's first mandate in order to make any necessary adjustments.