Ottawa, March 3, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) – On Wednesday the Canadian Governor General delivered the Speech from the Throne, laying out the government’s agenda for the forthcoming session of Parliament. Of note, says one Canadian pro-life group, were the 20 separate mentions of family that were made within the speech.
Among other things, the government highlighted its introduction of the Universal Child Care Benefit, and expressed a commitment to strengthen the benefit for “sole-support, single-parent families.”
The Child Care Benefit provides $100 per month for each child under the age of six.
The Governor General said, “This is direct financial support to working families that gives them the freedom to choose the best child care for them.”
Dave Quist, Executive Director of the Institute of Marriage and Family Canada said that “this appears to be the first significant step towards family income splitting.”
Quist said he applauds the government for recognizing that parents make the most appropriate decisions for their family and that society’s challenges can best be addressed by local solutions – through non-governmental, charitable and faith groups.
“One of the best actions that government can take is to move out of the way of local expertise in addressing the social needs of our communities,” continued Quist.