The province will raise the current fee from $5 to $7 per day per child – a move expected to save the government more than $100 million a year.
The increase is part of a new child-care bill tabled in the legislature on Thursday.
Heavily subsidized day-care rates were introduced by the Parti Québécois in 1997. The program costs more than $1 billion per year.
The Liberals want to eliminate a budget deficit of at least $3 billion. They also want to increase spending on health care and some other programs.
More than 165,000 children are enrolled in the government-run day cares, with about 35,000 youngsters on waiting lists. The Liberals want to expand the total number of openings to 200,000 within three years.
The PQ accused the Liberals of reneging on a campaign promise not to touch the $5 per child fee. But the government said that if the Parti Québécois had won the election the rate would now be $10 per child.
