Address by the Prime Minister on the Child Care Choice Facing Parliament

Notes for an Address by

The Right Honourable Stephen Harper
Prime Minister of Canada On the Child Care Choice Facing Parliament


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Introduction

Thank you.

It’s a great pleasure to be back in British Columbia.

Before I begin this morning, I’d like to thank Willingdon Family Drop Off  here at the Willingdon Community Centre for being kind enough to allow us to use their facility this morning.

Through providing a venue for local parents and their children to meet and socialize with other families, Willingdon is helping not only to build stronger families, but a stronger Burnaby.

I’d also like to acknowledge the presence of Helen Ward, president of the Kids First Parent Association.

Kids First truly is a laudable organization – an organization whose foremost focus is what is best for our children.

Kids First recognizes that parents need the flexibility to choose the type of care that best suits their circumstances and needs.

Through their volunteer efforts, that is exactly what Helen and Kids First do – help parents find the type of childcare that best serves their children’s needs.

Whether it be care through a relative, a neighbour, a parent at home full-time, or a daycare facility – Kids First sees the value in all childcare choices.

Thank you Helen for your work with Kids First, and for helping us arrange our roundtable of parents and academics today.

Our Mission

Ladies and Gentlemen, on January 23, Canadians voted for change. 

And they asked our party to lead that change.

We have responded by presenting Canadians with an agenda for change. 

An agenda built upon core principles.  Principles such as:

Accountable government.

Reward for effort.

Support for families.

And a strong and united Canada that works for all of us.

We have a plan and we have made commitments.

And in our first Speech from the Throne, we laid out five immediate priorities that we will begin implementing this spring.

Five Priorities

Our principles are represented in our priorities. 

Priorities outlined in our Speech from the Throne.

We know what we want to do.

And we have a plan to do it.

Our plans start with the Federal Accountability Act – a plan to clean up government and make politicians accountable for your money.

We will move forward to cut taxes for all Canadians - starting with a cut to the GST from seven to six percent, and eventually to five percent.

We will crack down on crime – in particular the gun, gang and drug crime that especially affects cities like Vancouver.

We will work with the provinces to establish a Patient Wait Times Guarantee – giving Canadians the health care they need, when they need it.

And, as I told Helen Ward and the other parents this morning, we will deliver a universal choice in child care plan to Canadian families.

The Situation with Childcare

As a husband and father with young children, I am particularly aware of the challenges young families face.

People are working harder.

Commute times are becoming longer.

And families today are increasingly struggling to balance their cheque books.

Nowhere is this challenge of balancing time and money more apparent than with child care.

The Liberal Strategy for Childcare

The previous government spent a lot of time talking about child care.

And since the election, they’ve been beating their chests on the issue.

But for all of their talk, they have precious little to show for it.

Their national child care program never materialized.

Parents certainly didn’t get any financial support.

And after 13 years of rhetoric, no one can find those universally-free, readily-accessible, federally-created day care spaces.

So where did all the child care money go? 

Well, for starters, politicians got their child care money.

So did armies of academics, researchers and special interest groups.

But what about parents? 

No direct financial support.  And no new spaces.

My friends, the old approach was a failure.

And that’s just not good enough for parents who have been waiting and waiting for child care.

As one mother remarked to me during the campaign:

“The Liberals promised child care when my daughter was four and in pre-school. Now she’s seventeen and waiting for them to break their post-secondary education promises.”

It’s time for a new approach.

An approach that cuts out the bureaucratic middleman.

An approach that directly supports parents.

An approach that actually creates spaces.

The Government’s Plan for Childcare

Over the past 13 years, we’ve been treated to a lot of fancy words on childcare.

But the truth of the matter is that not a single Canadian family has received direct financial support.

Under the Liberals, not a single daycare space was created.

This year, as we phase out the funding agreements that were concluded with the provinces, we will have the time to put in place a new program that seeks to create actual daycare spaces. 

For starters, this spring we’re going to include in our first budget a family allowance for childcare worth $1200 a year per child under the age of six.

The question that the opposition must answer is simple.

Do they support the $1200 allowance for children, or do they support the status quo – in other words, nothing at all?

The new approach to child care starts now.

We will ask Parliament to approve a universal choice in child care allowance.

An allowance that will deliver to parents a direct payment of $1200 per year, per child under six.

The math, my friends, is pretty simple.

One kid:  $1200 per year.

Two kids:  $2400 per year.

Three kids:  $3600 per year.

This approach requires no federal-provincial negotiations.

No funding for academics, researchers or special interest groups.

It cuts out the political and bureaucratic middlemen.

It provides real support.

It provides direct payment.

And it will be ready to go as soon as Parliament approves it.

Our new approach enhances parental choice.

It acknowledges and supports the 2/3 of parents who do not use 9 to 5 institutional day care.

And it will be bolstered by a plan to create spaces.

In Parliament, over the next year, we will seek input on how best to create spaces.

Just as we will seek ways to better integrate our universal choice in child care allowance with other existing family support programs.

But let me be clear:  we are only interested in developing a space creation plan that actually works.

Just as we want to ensure direct financial support for every Canadian family.

No more phantom spaces. No more dollars eaten away entirely by bureaucrats and advocates. We want real child care for all Canadians.

Cutting to the chase
 
Given our commitments to the provinces for the coming year, we have some time to develop a new space-creation plan that works.

So the question for this spring is clear.

Our upcoming Budget will provide Canadian parents with a Universal Choice in Childcare Allowance of $1200 per pre-school child.

Does the opposition support giving parents $1200 per child, per year - or do they prefer the status quo - which is zero?

The question is clear.

And Canadian parents are waiting for the Opposition to answer.

Parents know where Canada’s new national Government stands.

We ran on a clear commitment.

We were elected to keep our promises.

And Canadians, especially those with pre-school children, want and expect us to keep our commitments

And make no mistake about it, we will take that commitment back to Canadians if we have to.

The choice is up to the Opposition.

Conclusion

Over the coming year, my friends, we will be looking for ways to better integrate our new universal childcare allowance into the existing system of parental benefits.

But let’s be clear: our new national government is going to honour its commitment to Canadian families.

Because these families want and expect to receive $1200 per year per child.

And we will present our plan in the House of Commons and, if need be, put it in the hands of Canadians.

My friends, parents have told us they are fed up with empty promises.

They’re fed up with one-size-fits-all solutions.

And they’re fed up with everyone but them getting child care money.

Ordinary parents – people who work hard, pay their taxes and play by the rules – do not have a taxpayer-funded lobby group.

They don’t have the time to hold demonstrations.

And they certainly don’t make regular trips to Ottawa for news conferences.

But we do know ordinary parents support our plan.

And let me say to them today:

If you want less talk and more action on child care…

If you want $1200 per child, per year…

If you want Parliament to keep delivering real results for ordinary working families, call your local MP.

Tell them you support choice.

Tell them you support the $1200 per child, per year allowance.

And tell them to get with the program.

Together, we can make choice in child care a reality.

Let’s make it happen.

Thank you.