Issue - Child Care

  • During the 2006 election campaign, Martin said the Liberals would commit an additional $6 billion to subsidizing day care when the first allotment runs out in 2009 -- increasing the Liberals' commitment to $11 billion through 2015
  • A Liberal government will make “not-for-profit” facilities eligible for the next funding phase of the Canada Strategic Infrastructure Fund and the Municipal Rural Infrastructure Fund
  • In the 2005 budget, Martin’s Liberals promised $295 million for housing construction and renovation on reserves and $100 million to enhance early learning and child care opportunities for First Nations children and families living on reserves
  • Offer a child-care allowance of $1,200 a year for each child under six, to be taxable in the hands of the spouse with the lower income
  • Another $250 million in annual tax credits to fund a community child-care investment program, which the party says will create 125,000 new child-care spaces over the next five years
  • Honour the government’s existing bilateral child care commitments for one year
  • The NDP supports the public delivery of early child care and wants to develop a strategy to ensure a high quality national early learning and child care program.
  • The NDP wants the plan extended so as to phase out for-profit day care centres, bringing them into a new funding regime and restricting funding to for-profit day cares.
  • They would also like to see protective mechanisms to ensure that public money goes only to public and non-profit services. And they want a public agency to oversee the provision of services.
  • Ensure Ottawa transfers funds to Quebec’s existing low-cost day care program
  • Create tax incentives for businesses to implement flexible schedules and on-site childcare
  • Boost funding for early childhood education
  • Link local childcare and education centres into a national network