Outline of the positions of all parties on child care
Children and Families Deserve More than Empty Promises
- Prepared by the Child Care Advocacy Association of Canada
As the federal election draws near, Canadians concerned about the country's future should closely examine the Conservative child care promises. These promises are a throwback to the past. They will not deliver the kind of high quality child care our children deserve nor the support today's parents need. Instead, a Stephen Harper government would erase the progress we have finally begun to make towards building a system of accessible care for children across Canada.
The Conservatives say they would create 125,000 child care spaces through a $10,000 tax credit to employers.
Past experience with this trickle-down approach has been dismal. Mike Harris's government used the same scheme - a tax incentive to employers for workplace child care - and no new spaces were created. Saskatchewan and New Brunswick had similar programs with poor results. In any case, most workplace child care in Canada is associated with public sector employers who can't take advantage of tax credits.
The Conservatives’ math is also questionable. Capital and start-up costs for developing a child care space are considerably more than a $10,000 tax credit, especially in big cities. For example, in Vancouver, the cost would be closer to $40,000 because of the high cost of land and construction.
And what about the cost of operating affordable spaces once they’re created? Employers have shown they’re not willing to fund the ongoing cost of workplace child care and that leaves parents and provincial governments on the hook.
Stephen Harper says he'll tear up child care funding agreements with the provinces.
The Conservatives would take back billions of already committed child care funding that the provinces are counting on. The provinces are responsible for child care and would have to abandon their plans to use these dollars for much-needed expansion and quality improvements, with devastating results. For example, Manitoba would have to cancel plans for 3,000 new community-based child care spaces and 200 nursery school places would no longer be feasible. Toronto would not get its planned 5,000 new subsidies to help low- and modest-income parents pay for child care and would not be able to build 58 new planned centres. Saskatchewan would have to cancel an announced wage increase for child care staff. And the plans of other provinces would meet a similar fate.
No worries, the Conservatives will give families $25 a week.
The proposed allowance would be taxed back from all families except those with one parent at home, so $25 represents a maximum. This cash would not help parents find high quality child care - you can't buy what doesn't exist. Even existing child care (only enough for 15 per cent of young children) costs 10 or 20 times the $3 or $4 a day the allowance would provide. While many families do need income support, families with young children very much need and want a range of quality, affordable child care services. An increase in public investment in high quality child care and at the same time an increase in the existing National Child Benefit would make much more sense for today's families.
Say no to the Conservative child care scheme
Solving Canada's child care crisis will take a lot more than sound bites, simplistic ideas and discredited theories. Canada needs a plan and a program that recognizes the social and economic benefits that good early learning and child care produces for children, families and all of society. Most successful industrialized nations recognize the benefits of public investment in high quality child care and already have universal programs. Canada, its children and their families deserve one too.
We won't get it with the Conservative plan.