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Tuesday's throne speech promised to encourage creation of more child-care spaces along with action on the five Tory priorities, but a local women's advocate remains doubtful.
"We'll see if it happens," said Dodie Goldney, executive director of the Kamloops Women's Resource Centre. "Obviously they don't want to rock any boats right now."
MP Betty Hinton said the primary aim of the planned $1,200 payment to families with young children is to achieve equality.
"The child-care issue is pretty well cut and dried," she said in Ottawa following the speech from the throne.
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The throne speech stated that parents must be able to choose the child care that is best for them and that the Conservative government will support choice through direct financial support.
But Goldney called the plan a step backward for women and children. She said actual child-care costs can range from $700 to $1,000 a month per child, so the equivalent of $100 a month in direct support will fall well short of needs.
"Increasing support for families is very valid but not as a substitute for child-care spaces, which are what we really need in Kamloops."
Without the ability to afford licensed child care, single women are forced to place their children in environments that are not as safe or nurturing, she said.
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Ray Pillar, a TRU political science instructor, noted that the Tories did make some comments during the election on the need for a replacement child-care program. Their proposal to replace the subsidy program with a single annual payment is still short on detail, though.
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An upbeat Hinton promised that the Stephen Harper government will follow through on its commitments before the summer recess. She contrasted this with the record of the Liberals in office.
"We've given five priorities and we plan to complete them. We're ready to get on with it."
The priorities include a Federal Accountability Act, a GST cut, a child-care allowance, tougher criminal sentences and a patient wait-time guarantee.
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- reprinted from the Daily News