By LifeSiteNews.com Staff
OTTAWA, December 5, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The Conservative Party of Canada is reaching out to families with a new choice in child care allowance that will grant $100 per month per child to parents for children under six. Also, over the weekend, Conservative leader Stephen Harper announced a plan of action to deal with drug crime, including mandatory minimum sentences for the most serious drug crimes and scrapping the Liberal proposal to decriminalize marijuana.
Contrasting the Conservative child care plan with that of the Liberals, Conservative Leader Stephen Harper said, “The Liberal plan sends money to provincial governments. The total cost of our plan will be $10.9 billion over five years, which is $4.7 billion more than the Liberals are planning.” He added,“Our plan provides money directly to parents. You can spend that money the way you see fit. You can choose the child care option that best suits your family’s needs.”
The new Choice in Child Care Allowance will be in addition to the current Canada Child Tax Benefit, National Child Benefit Supplement and the Child Care Expenses Deduction. A Conservative Party release on the measure explained, the allowance will be taxed in the hands of the lower-income spouse.
“The Conservatives will give parents a Choice in Child Care Allowance parents can see,” Harper said. “A monthly payment parents can count on. A new Allowance that no politician will ever be able to take away without you noticing.”
Under Harper’s plan to fight drug crime, offenders involved with trafficking, importing/exporting, or producing the most addictive drugs such as heroin, cocaine, crystal meth, and large amounts (over 3 kg) of marijuana or hashish, would face mandatory minimum prison sentences of at least two years.
“Criminals who are growing marijuana in grow ops, manufacturing crystal in drug labs, or selling crack cocaine in our streets have to know that if they are caught they will not get a slap on the wrist,” said Harper. “They will go to jail and serve serious time.”