Daycare licences tied to donations: PQ

Quebec's iconic $7-a-day child-care program has become the subject of a pay-for-play controversy.

Thewell-known social program has been used to help fill the coffers of the province's governing Liberals, the Parti Qubcois charged Tuesday.

TheOpposition party said it began examining who'd received contracts to open daycare centres and was startled by the preponderance of donors to the Quebec Liberal party.

For instance, the party said,70 per cent of new daycares in the Laurentian region last year were run by Liberal donors.

"There were public criteria [for awarding the daycare licences]," said PQ member Nicolas Girard. "Were there also criteria that didn't appear on the department's website?

"These are legitimate questions we're asking, and that a lot of parents are asking today."

Quebec's public system was the inspiration for a national program Paul Martin's Liberals were trying to build before they were booted from office.

Opposition members demanded the file be investigated internally or referred to the province's auditor general.

But Tony Tomassi, the cabinet minister responsible for running the program, called it a coincidence and said strict rules governed the awarding of daycares.

"There are no criteria tied to political contributions," Tomassi said.

"We don't go around checking to see whether candidates have donated to political parties. The selection criteria for the projects are very selective and very rigorous."