Tories firm on childcare funding denial stance
Alberni Valley Times/ Canadian Press
May 30, 2006
EXCERPT

..."I'm disappointed -- very disappointed," said Mary Anne Chambers, the Ontario minister for children and youth.

"It seems pretty clear that Minister Finley, even though she speaks of provincial and territorial jurisdictions, is quite prepared to bypass the provinces and the territories."

At issue are $5 billion in transfer payments the Liberal government of Paul Martin promised to the provinces over five years to create new day-care spaces.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper has taken the first legal steps to back out of those deals and replace them with $100-a-month cheques that will go straight from Ottawa to parents of children aged under six.

The Tories also plan $250 million worth of new tax breaks and grants for business and community groups, again to be paid directly from federal coffers....

"It's really important to understand that you don't just create a space," said Chambers. "You have to provide ongoing, sustainable funding for these spaces."

Provincial officials admitted privately they didn't hold much hope, going into the meeting, that Finley would agree to restore the full $5 billion in Liberal transfer payments.

But they hoped she might be open to arguments that the $250 million a year planned by the Tories should be handed to the provinces, rather than directly to day-care operators.

Finley was adamant that wouldn't happen.

"We really don't want to se any money lost in (provincial) administration," she said. "This is going directly to organizations to make sure that we get those spaces created."

The Liberal government of Ontario has been one of the loudest critics of the Tory approach, but dissenting voices were also raised Monday by the NDP governments of Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

"I came here with some high hopes," said Deb Higgins, the Saskatchewan minister responsible for early childhood learning.

"Today was a frustrating day, there were no clear, concrete answers to many questions that we have."

Christine Melnick, the Manitoba minister of family services, noted that her province has chosen to give priority to non-profit day care, while the Tory plan would make commercial operators eligible for tax breaks and grants.

"We need to look at what really makes up a child care system," said Melnick. "Our community has been very clear that they like the system as it stands in Manitoba."