Statement made on 10 February 2009 by Senator Art Eggleton
Hon. Art Eggleton:
Honourable senators, my question is to the Leader of the Government in the Senate. Thousands of child care spaces across the country are now at risk. In the province of Ontario alone, it is reported that some 22,000 spaces may be lost, and while many of them may be in the city that I am from, they are also throughout the province in many rural and smaller communities. This is a result of the cancellation of the 2005 agreement between the federal and provincial governments.
In Budget 2009, the government suggested minor changes to the National Child Benefit which, together with the program that they initiated a couple of years ago on the Universal Child Care Benefit, could produce $136 a month for quality, affordable child care. However, the cost is somewhere in the neighbourhood of $700 a month.
Why did the government not implement a dedicated funding plan for child care spaces in the 2009 budget?
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