The Supreme Court just ruled Quebec can't deny asylum seekers subsidized child care

The Supreme Court of Canada has ruled that Quebec discriminated against female refugee claimants by introducing regulations that denied them access to subsidized daycare spaces.

This marks the third ruling against the Quebec government on the matter.

In a decision today, the court says that blocking refugee claimants from subsidized daycare threatens to marginalize them from society.

The case originated with a woman from the Democratic Republic of Congo who applied for asylum and obtained a work permit.

The province subsequently denied access to Quebec’s heavily subsidized daycare network for the woman’s three children.

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 March 6, 2026.