International Family Childcare Association -

CFRA Radio Interview May 27th, 2007. Income Splitting is the main topic but there is much more there. Not for the faint at heart either. Listen with a smile!

Universal Childcare Benefit one year anniversary.
Canada’s New Government Celebrates Giving Parents Greater Choice in Child Care
WINNIPEG, MANITOBA, July 10, 2007 -

Canada’s New Government made a commitment to support Canadian families and give them real choice in child care, and it is delivering on that promise. Since launching the Universal Child Care Benefit (UCCB) in July 2006, the Government has provided 1.5 million Canadian families with monthly UCCB cheques of $100 for every child under six years old.
Today, the Honourable Monte Solberg, Minister of Human Resources and Social Development Canada, was joined by local families at the West Portage YMCA-YWCA in Winnipeg, to celebrate one year of giving Canadian families choice in child care.
“Since July 2006, Canada’s New Government has been providing families with $100 per month -up to $1,200 a year - for each child under the age of six to help cover the costs of whichever form of childcare they choose,” said Minister Solberg. “When it comes to raising children, we know that every family has it own needs. We think parents know what is best for their families based on their own circumstances. Our Universal Child Care Plan puts parents in charge.”
“Based on our extensive experience in child care programming over several decades, we believe it is important for all parents to have access to a mix of quality child care choices,” said Dave Young, Chief Executive Officer of the YMCA-YWCA of Winnipeg that hosted the event. “Families tell us that the most important thing about YMCA-YWCA child care is that the centre is supportive of the families and their children.”
The Universal Child Care Benefit is the first part of Canada’s Universal Child Care Plan, which helps families balance work and home responsibilities. The second part, introduced in Budget 2007, is the provision of an additional $250 million per year to provinces and territories to create new child care spaces. Different provinces, like different families, face unique challenges when it comes to child care. This new transfer is in addition to other transfers to the provinces and territories for early childhood development and early learning and child care. All told, each year, the federal government will transfer $1.1 billion to the provinces and territories in support of families with children, and this amount will grow to $1.3 billion by 2013-2014.
Also in Budget 2007, a new investment tax credit of up to 25 per cent will go to businesses that create new child care spaces for the children of their employees, for up to $10,000 per space created. In addition, Canada’s New Government has introduced a new $2,000 Child Tax Credit that will provide up to $310 for parents of children under age 18.
For more information and to subscribe to the Universal Child Care Plan electronic newsletter, please visit www.universalchildcare.ca .

MacLeans magazine has kindly featured us on there July 2nd issue, page 08.

Finally a unified front is forming in Canada against proponents of state-run, taxpayer-funded daycare. Last week, the National Family Childcare Association, a stay at home parent group (we’re a group for choice not just sahp’s but we’ll fix that , combined forces with the Canadian Child Care Management Association, which represents privately run daycares (also non-profit but we’ll fix that too , to lobby for support for parental choice, vouchers for daycare and income splitting. Consensus between these unlikely bedfellows raises hope for a proper debate on a vital issue. The public daycare lobby dominated by academics and left of centre politicians has long monopolized the national conversation on child care, demanding that we pour resources into an expensive, state run system. Now, the silent legion of families wanting proper standards for informal private care, or better support for stay at home care, have a voice.

Thank you MacLeans for listening to us!