Stephane Dion
Liberal Party
Conservatives repeat lies on child care cheques
ISSUE:
After being challenged by Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion to end his campaign of “piling lies upon lies,” Mr. Harper and the Conservative Party launched more attack ads claiming Mr. Dion would eliminate the Universal Child Care Benefit.
REALITY:
Stéphane Dion has repeatedly said that he will not eliminate the $1,200 child care benefit. This is clearly a matter of public record and Liberals even released an official statement clarifying this in unequivocal language before the Conservatives launched their ads. And yet, Stephen Harper is repeating these baseless fabrications.
Universal Child Care Benefit
* While Mr. Dion has criticized Mr. Harper for cancelling billions in child care funding agreements with the provinces and breaking his promise to create child care spaces, the Liberal leader has never committed to ending or reducing the Universal Child Care Benefit. Period.
“The leader has not said at all that the $1,200 [a year] now being given to parents would be taken away….We don’t want to take it away.”
(Liberal Social Development Critic, Ruby Dhalla, National Post, March 26, 2007)
* Liberals will maintain this benefit and will augment it with real support to create quality child care spaces.
WHAT DION SAID
The Conservatives hand their whole claim that Dion would cancel child care cheques based on Mr. Dion’s response in a 2006 interview with the National Post before Mr. Dion was elected as Liberal leader. Here is the full exchange:
National Post: Would you cancel the Tory daycare plan? What would you replace it with?
Stéphane Dion: Yes. The Dryden plan was much better. We need child care facilities to provide Canadian parents with real choice. It’s a matter of social justice, but also of sound economics: child care facilities are a good way to encourage flexibility and mobility of our workforce, at a time when, often, two parents are working outside the home. (National Post, October 21, 2006)
REALITY
The question is not specifically about the $1,200 benefit. Mr. Dion is asked about Mr. Harper’s child care plan in general, including the cancellation of Liberal child care agreements with all 10 provinces, and his failed plan to create 125,000 child care spaces.
However, Liberals have repeatedly pointed out, cheques alone are not child care.
Further, since becoming leader, Mr. Dion and the Liberal Party have been clear that we will not take away the $1,200 family child care allowance. The Liberal Party will in fact add a new refundable tax credit worth $350 per child per year and will invest to create more child care spaces for Canadians.
In addition, the Liberal Party has committed to increasing the National Child Care Benefit Supplement and creating a new Guaranteed Family Supplement worth up to $1,225 per child for lower-income families.
The Conservatives broke their promise to Canadian families that they would create 25,000 new spaces annually.
The Liberal Party opposed the Conservatives’ slashing $750 million in annual investments in child care spaces.
And yes, while keeping the cheques, Liberals do intend to replace the Conservative plan to create child care spaces, because their plan didn’t work.
Choice in Childcare opinion,
So here it is, Dion wants to up the Universal Childcare benefit about $300 a year and put more money into daycare spaces. This money will not go to the parents it will go to the daycare workers.
Why would sending money to the daycare workers be the only way to create daycare spaces?
When accountants, lawyers etc… go to University do they have a guarantee of a government well paid, benefits, and union backed job?
Paying the daycare workers directly is for the comfort of the daycare employment, not the children.
One style daycare does not fit all children.
Send the money to the parents to make a true choice in childcare.
Stephen Harper
Conservative
Many families struggle with the cost of child care. For 13 years, Liberals promised but never delivered new child care spaces. Conservatives are giving parents choice in childcare – direct support to fit each family’s unique needs – and investing in new child care spaces.
Conservatives are building a stronger, safer, better Canada for families and children.
The Conservative Record
Delivered choice and support to parents through the Universal Child Care Benefit: $1,200 per year in direct support for every child under six – over $3.7 billion in 2006 and 2007 to help parents with the cost of child care
Invested $250 million per year to assist the provinces and territories in creating new child care spaces
The Liberal Record
For 13 years, Liberals promised new child care spaces but never delivered.
Liberals oppose the new $1,200 Universal Child Care Benefit and have promised to take it away from thousands of families.
Liberals voted against $250 million per year for the provinces to create new child care spaces.
The NDP Record
New Democrats joined the Liberals in opposing the 2006 and 2007 budgets including the Universal Child Care Benefit and $250 million per year for new child care spaces.
The NDP plan for child care puts interest groups, bureaucrats, and politicians ahead of parents when it comes to federal funding assistance.
The Bloc Record
The Bloc talks a lot about child care. But what can they actually do other than talk? With the BLOC, we can’t achieve anything.
For Canadians, the choice is clear: strong leadership and the real support with the Conservatives or weak leadership and no support with the Liberals.
Choice in Childcare opinion,
Nothing new.
No Income Splitting, no tax breaks for parents at home… nothing new
Remember,
Parents at home at paying up to 42% higher taxes than the double income families, this included single parents!
Parents at home are only eligible for tax breaks if they use outside sources for childcare.
In the 2006 election I specifically said $100 was better than nothing the Liberals were offering. Well today we are being offered nothing from both sides.
