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EXCERPTS
Michael Ignatieff says a Liberal government would pour money into child care and early childhood education, no matter how deep a financial hole the Tories may have dug the country into by then.
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But Ignatieff rejected the Tories' contention that the massive deficit means the country can't afford new spending on social programs.
"Well, who created (the deficit) in the first place? I'm not going to allow the deficit discussion to shut down discussion in this country about social justice," he declared following a Liberal-sponsored roundtable on poverty and homelessness.
He did not say how the Liberals would reduce the deficit while hiking spending on daycare and early childhood education. He essentially suggested Canadians could trust Liberals to do both.
Nor did he put a price tag on his promises. He said the cost "depends where I am when we get into government" -- presumably suggesting that his ambitions might be scaled back somewhat depending on the size of the deficit at that time.
But he insisted he won't back off new investments in early childhood learning, that he'll "find the money" no matter how big the deficit.
"I'm aware of the (financial) hole this government has dropped us in, but one (promise) I will not drop under any circumstances is an investment in our kids because I'm absolutely convinced this is the game changer that makes us more equal, more fair and more just and gives every kid an equal start," he said.
"I've made it very, very clear this is the No.1 social priority of an incoming Liberal government. Why? Because we think it's the best way to create more equality, more opportunity, more fairness in our country. It's also the best anti-poverty program."
The cost of the last Liberal national child-care program, introduced by Paul Martin's government, was pegged at $5 billion over five years. The program was scrapped in its infancy by Harper when he took office in 2006.
Harper replaced the program with $100-a-month, child-care allowances for parents of young children and capital grants to employers who create child-care centres.
- reprinted from the Chronicle Herald