Myriam Lapointe-Gagnon: a fight for all parents in Quebec
The young mother and doctoral candidate in psychology at the University of Quebec in Trois-Rivières recently agreed to return to the first months of the movement she founded and the coming year.
The impossibility of finding a place for her child has jeopardized the pursuit of his studies, a situation that pushed him to get involved.
Installée à Cacouna, la maman fonde alors Ma place au travail
et se lance dans un combat en faveur de l’accessibilité au service de garde, qu'elle qualifie de joyau en danger
.
Very quickly, the movement grows on social networks without it expecting it.At the end of 2021, thousands of people follow the movement on Facebook or participate.
Ce sont des dizaines, des centaines, des milliers de parents qui ont donné du temps, qui se sont levés, qui ont pris la parole pour faire reconnaître l’importance d’avoir une place en garderie
, raconte Myriam Lapointe-Gagnon.
Myriam Lapointe-Gagnon, who lives in Cacouna, founded the movement my place at work (archives).
Photo: Radio-Canada / Patrick Bergeron
After nine months of activity, the movement retains all its importance, she believes.
There is to continue [to be] distress everywhere, in all regions. Il y a des parents qui étaient impliqués dans le début du mouvement qui n’ont toujours pas trouvé de place malgré leurs efforts
, indique-t-elle.
Awareness
Myriam Lapointe-Gagnon, however, welcomes Quebec's awareness of the importance of having enough daycare places and the repercussions that such a network on the different layers of the company.
There are many people in the last year who have become aware of the importance of the network for everyone's place in the labor market, and especially women, who have been so seriously affected. Il y a beaucoup de mamans qui doivent rester à la maison en raison de la pénurie de places en garderie
, note-t-elle.
For her part, her situation settled along the way: in September, she obtained a place for her one -year -old boy in a family daycare center.
Quand j’ai créé le mouvement, je ne savais pas si j’allais pouvoir trouver cette place-là, puis c’était vraiment mes études qui étaient compromises
, raconte-t-elle.
Myriam Lapointe-Gagnon in the National Assembly.
Photo: Radio-Canada
This place is of course a relief for Myriam Lapointe-Gagnon, even if the fear of seeing this daycare in the family environment close is still present.
You never know, closures can always happen anytime, for any kind of reasons.I am not safe: if my family environment firm tomorrow morning and I do not find a daycare, at that time, I know that my studies can be compromised.
The young mother relates that the success of the movement "My place at work" also comes with her share of hassle.
Myriam Lapointe-Gagnon ended up in an uncomfortable situation last May, after being contacted by the person causing the piracy of the platform Place 0-5 and theft of the personal data of 5000 parents of Quebec Quebec.
Quebec is active
In Quebec, the government has activated to fill the lack of places in daycare through the province.In addition to the 19,000 places in the process of being created, the government of François Legault intends to add 17,000 others by 2025.
In Bas-Saint-Laurent, in Gaspésie and on the North Shore, hundreds of additional places should be created in the coming years.
CPE places promised by Quebec
Region | Number of promised CPE places |
|---|---|
Gaspésie-îles-de-la-Madeleine | 355 |
Bas-Saint-Laurent | 1087 |
North Coast | 525 |
Source: Radio-Canada
De plus, Québec a conclu des ententes de principe historiques
avec les trois syndicats représentant les travailleuses des centres de la petite enfance (CPE), ententes qui ont été entérinées par les membres.
On s’est aussi rendu compte de l’importance de ces travailleuses, les éducatrices, qui sont essentielles au bon fonctionnement de la société et au bon fonctionnement de nos tout-petits
, salue Mme Lapointe-Gagnon.
But there is still a long way to go, she said. Ce qu’on voit dans les derniers mois, c’est que malgré les annonces, les parents continuent de chercher désespérément.
Hundreds of places in daycare should be added in the coming years in East-du-Québec
Photo: Radio-Canada / Fabienne Tercaefs
There remains a shadow on the board, she believes: the weak registrations in child education programs, which would suggest a succession problem.
D’un côté, on crée des places, on investit, on veut créer de nouveaux Centre de la petite enfanceCPE, mais de l’autre, on voit que les cégeps sont pas mal vides, qu’il n'y a pas beaucoup d’inscriptions.
Obtain the right to a daycare service
His next fight: ensuring that getting a place in daycare is a right for each parent in Quebec.
It may be necessary to realize that it should be, in the same way as the right to school, because early childhood is the base of everything. Pour l’égalité des chances, c’est vraiment important
, soutient-elle.
In September, the Minister of the Family, Mathieu Lacombe, had closed the door to this idea, which had been proposed to the government by the head of the Liberal Party of Quebec, Dominique Anglade.
Family Minister Mathieu Lacombe.
Photo: Canadian press / Jacques Boissinot
Myriam Lapointe-Gagnon also plans to monitor the next government's announcements.
We will follow closely the creations of places, how it is done, make sure of the quality, for example not to lower the ratios of the number of children per educator, and continue to be the mothers and papas bear who watchgrain.
Political aims?
The year 2022 will rhyme with provincial elections in Quebec: the parties are preparing the October electoral campaign, draw their program and seek candidates in the hope of winning the most constituencies.
Personnage actif sur les réseaux sociaux disposant d’une belle tribune dans les médias, Myriam Lapointe-Gagnon avait confirmé en novembre son intérêt pour la sphère politique
.She had not closed any door to a candidacy for the October elections.
She had also participated in a public meeting with Christine Labrie, MP for Sherbrooke.The parliamentary leader of Québec Solidaire also praised the extent of the mobilization that the doctoral candidate had created thanks to the movement my place at work.
The elected official had not failed to uncheck arrows towards Harold Lebel, deputy of Rimouski, and Denis Tardif, deputy of Rivière-du-Loup-.These two constituencies are in the midr of Quebec Solidaire for the next elections.
