Cheques, child care spaces, or both?
Metrovalley Newspaper Group - Maple Ridge News
September 18, 2008
By: Tom Fletcher

When Conservative leader Stephen Harper scrapped the Paul Martin government's child care funding deal with provinces in 2006 and replaced it with $100 monthly cheques for each preschool-aged child, the B.C. government lost $150 million in annual transfer payments….

Following are highlights of latest party promises.

Conservative:

The Conservatives say that in addition to direct payments to parents, they have continued to provide $250 million a year to provinces and territories to help them create more spaces. Prior to releasing a full platform, the Conservatives have promised to extend maternity and parental benefits to self- employed people who choose to pay Employment Insurance premiums.

Liberal:

The Liberals promise to add to the $100 per month payment program with a refundable child tax credit worth $350 per year to families for every child under 18. Dion also promises to provide up to $1,225 per year to "Canada's poorest families" through a new Guaranteed Family Supplement.

The Liberals would increase child care transfers to provinces and territories to $1.25 billion annually over the next four years to add institutional daycare spaces and reduce waiting lists.

NDP:

NDP leader Jack Layton says he would fund institutional child care with $1. 45 million in the first year, "and as finances permit we'll steadily build on that funding until the program is fully phased in." His target is an initial 150,000 new spaces, continuing until child care is available to any parent who needs it.

He said the Conservative policy of extending tax credits to private employers to create daycare spaces at work has been a failure, and the $250 million the government extended to provinces and territories is only a fifth of what is needed.

Green Party:

The first leader to release a policy book, Green Party leader Elizabeth May promises to increase the GST to six per cent to pay for environmentally friendly infrastructure, but expand the exemptions for food items and also include children's clothing and books.

The Greens also promise to "ensure universal access to excellent child care and early childhood education" and offer unspecified tax relief to parents who opt out of the workforce or work from home to spend more time with their children.