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EXCERPTS
Conservative government officials have reached out to a coalition of social conservative lobby groups in an effort to help sway public opinion in the coming battle over the Tory daycare deal.
Socially conservative Tories, including Senator Anne Cools, met early this month with a number of organizations that support replacing the former Liberal government's public daycare program with a Tory idea for a $1,200 annual allowance. MP Jason Kenney, parliamentary secretary to Prime Minister Stephen Harper, also briefly attended the meeting.
Group spokespersons said yesterday that they will publicize the Conservative plan in part out of concern that organizations opposing the idea are well-organized and increasingly vocal.
"When the thing arises on the drawing board, we'll be there," said Gwen Landolt, vice-president of REAL Women, one of the groups in attendance.
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Ms. Landolt said the meeting took place on April 3, the day Parliament reopened.
Sources said others at the meeting included Charles McVety, president of the Canada Family Action Coalition, and Joseph Ben-Ami, executive director of the Institute for Canadian Values, a faith-based public policy think-tank, among others.
Sources also said that one of the officials in the Prime Minister's Office made phone calls to organize the meeting. Ms. Cools spearheaded the effort, in part to deflect any negative publicity toward Mr. Harper's office, a source said.
Sandra Buckler, a spokeswoman for the Prime Minister, said the PMO official did not make any telephone calls to organize the meeting.
She said the meeting did not include only social conservatives.
"The only thing I can possibly say is that we're reaching out to all interested groups who agree with our child-care plan," Ms. Buckler said.
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- reprinted from the Globe and Mail