OTTAWA – A tax deduction for child care is not a social program and Stephen Harper should know the difference, said Paul Moist, national president of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE).
“I’m beginning to think Stephen Harper doesn’t know the difference between a tax deduction and a social program,” Moist said. “Canadians need a program, not a pretence – a hundred bucks a month won’t get a single kid into quality child care.”
Moist noted that parents have no real “choice” when faced with high costs for quality child care, saying they need a universal quality program, not a cynical bribe for voters.
The Conservative’s feeble initiative would actually undermine quality, public and not-for-profit child care by opening up the space for giant commercial child care chains to cash in, Moist said.
“Providing public money to businesses to subsidize private operators will just open up a market to big box our kids,” said Moist. “This is bad policy and bad for kids.”
Moist also noted that the Conservative spending pledge of $250 million is far short of the mark. Provinces would need at least $2 billion to build 200,000 spaces in quality, public centres with educational programming and a well-trained and stable workforce.
“It’s back to the drawing board for the Conservatives on child care,” said Moist.
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Contact:
Paul Moist
National President
cell (613) 558-2873
Claude Généreux
National Secretary-Treasurer
(porte-parole francophone) cell (514) 884-5074
David Robbins
CUPE Communications
cell (613) 878-1431