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New Democratic Party leader Jack Layton visited a daycare centre at Simon Fraser University Monday during his third visit in British Columbia since the election campaign began May 23.
"We're here today at this daycare centre because I want to talk about who can do the best job for children and families in Canada," Layton declared.
"Canadians have told us that middle class and working class families deserve a break. Today, I'm setting out a practical and responsible plan for making ends meet."
Layton said the NDP would help children and families by:
- Creating an additional 200,000 "high quality, publicly-funded, affordable" child care spaces within four years, "at dramatically lower costs" for parents.
- Increasing the child tax benefit to $4,900 from $2,600 per child.
- Ensuring that all Canadians who make less than $15,000 a year don't pay any income tax.
- Full indexing of tax brackets and credits, so Canadians don't receive hidden tax increases as wages rise, and removing the GST from family essentials such as children's clothing and medicine.
reprinted from Vancouver Sun