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The federal government's Universal Child Care Benefit turned three this week, but not everyone is celebrating.
Newmarket-Aurora MP Lois Brown was at the Baldwin Pre-School in Aurora Tuesday to celebrate the success of the program, which gives families with children under six $100 per month to help cover child care costs.
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Since its launch in July 2006, the federal government has provided in the neighbourhood of $7.5 billion through the benefit, Ms Brown said, adding about 1.5 million families are eligible to receive it.
The grants were the first part of the government's Universal Child Care Plan, she said, with the second part being the allotment of $250 million per year to the provinces and territories to create new child care spaces. It was introduced in 2007.
That $250 million is on top of the $850 million the provinces and territories get from the Canada Social Transfer for children's programs and services. Also, businesses that create child care spaces can receive a 25-per-cent tax credit.
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Still, the program is not without its critics.
The federal government doesn't have any business celebrating when so many families and individuals are still living in poverty and struggling to survive amid tough times, Poverty Action Coalition for Change chairperson Tom Pearson said.
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The money allotted for the program would be better spent on having the federal and provincial governments get together to implement universal day care, he said.
"That $100 might chip away a little bit at the day care costs or put a little bit of food on the table, but it's not really going to help," he said. "If it were put to a referendum, I think more people would choose to have a national day care program rather than $100 ... There's a lot of work to do; they should not be patting themselves on the back."
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Richmond Hill MP Bryon Wilfert said he, too, is unimpressed with the government's decision to celebrate its child care benefit program.
The federal Conservative government promptly scrapped its predecessor's commitment to create hundreds of thousands of new child care spaces across the country when it came to power, Mr. Wilfert said, and now waiting lists for affordable day care are longer than they've ever been.
New spots have not been forthcoming since then, he said, adding the $100 meant to give people a choice barely covers a fraction of the costs for parents.
"Choice is a wonderful thing, but, at $100 per month before taxes, what choice does that give people?" the Liberal MP said.
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- reprinted from the York Region Era Banner