Quebec daycare freeze threat lifted by families minister

Quebec's families minister has given the go-ahead to funding all daycare spots initially promised for this year.

Earlier in the week, Minister Francine Charbonneau had worried parents by saying the government would consider freezingall new subsidized daycare spots as a part of the government's austerity measures.

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On Wednesday, Charbonneauchanged her tune andassuredQuebecersthat would not be the case.

Charbonneaudefended her change of mind.

"If I was backtracking, I would have announced something else. What I said is 'I'm stopping, taking a picture, analyzing, and then going ahead with what I have to do' and that's exactly what we're doing," she said.

The minister said the government has completed the necessary research, and can afford to fund all the spots promised for this year.

The previousParti-Qubcois government had promised to fund a total of 28,000 new daycare spaces.

Charbonneau could not confirm how many of those had been promised for this year.

As for the remaining spots, she said the decision would have to wait for more long-term budget talks.