OTTAWA, February 9, 2011 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Liberals and NDPs were up in arms during last Thursday’s Question Period in the House of Commons over the Conservative government’s Universal Child Care Benefit. The national program provides money directly to parents of young children, allowing them to choose their preferred childcare, rather than funding a national day care program.
The debate marked the fifth year since the Conservative government discarded the Liberal plan for a government-regulated national day care program. Instead, Conservatives have provided families with $100/month per child age six and under so they can choose what kind of childcare meets their family needs.
Liberal MP Michael Savage accused Human Resources Minister Diane Finley of planning to cut in half parental leave benefits, which allow parents up to one year leave after the birth of a child. “Is this part of their tough on families agenda?” questioned Savage.
But Minister Diane Finley, a key figure behind the Conservative Universal Child Care Benefit (UCCB), said it was the Liberals who had wanted to fund a system that “made sure parents were forced to have other people raise their children.”
Liberal MP Bob Rae said following the debate, “For decades we’ve realized that women are working, men are working and the second thing we’ve realized is that there’s a great benefit to children from working and playing with others and learning with others. The notion somehow that child care is some form of alien abduction is just completely preposterous.”
“Finley insulted all teachers, all early childhood educators, child-care workers, organizers of parents’ resource centres and even babysitters. She is trying to inflict guilt on all working parents — a truly shameful, divisive behaviour,” said NDP MP Olivia Chow.
Meanwhile, Finley responded saying that Conservatives have the best interests of Canadian families in mind. The aim of the UCCB is to “support families” and give parents “choice” in child care, she said.
“If they want to stay at home and look after them … if they want to take advantage of formal day care outside the home … if they want to rely on a family member or a close friend or neighbour to help raise their children, we support that.”
In an interview with LifeSiteNews.com, Minister Finley said the Liberal plan of a government-regulated national day care program “doesn’t respect the different needs of parents in different situations across the country.” The Liberals, she said, call for a “one-size fits all” that simply “won’t work for many Canadian families.”
In response to the accusations of day care being a replacement for parents raising their own children, Finley told LSN that the Conservatives “believe parents should have the choice in how their children are taken care of.”
“Parents should have options, they should have a choice, and that’s why we’re providing universal child care benefits.”
The UCCB helps 2 million children each year and takes 57,000 families out of the low-income category, claimed Finley.
Minister Finley said she has received numerous emails and letters of thanks for the UCCB. “I’ve had women breaking down in tears in my arms in gratitude for this program.”
“We don’t believe in the Liberal attitude that parents would spend the money on beer and popcorn,” said Finley, referring to the Liberal claim that parents would “blow the money.” “We believe that parents will make the right choices.”
“We support families seven days a week, 365 days a year,” concluded Finley.