Editor's Note: The following is in reply to a letter to the editor from Liberal MP John McCallum titled “Help for parents with the high cost of kids” that ran in our July 2 issue.
Editor, The Times:
As the Minister of State for Social Development I feel it is important to correct the record on what the Liberal Party is offering and what our government is doing – and will continue to do – for Canadians.
The Liberals have promised a few things: they will cut the Universal Child Care Benefit and the Child Tax Benefit; they will eliminate income-splitting, which we have just introduced for families and had previously introduced for seniors; and they will gut Tax-Free Savings Accounts (TFSA). Even after cutting all this support for Canadians, there still remains a funding gap of at least $2 billion, which will have to come from increased taxes on families, seniors and businesses.
Our Conservative government has a better plan. Our plan provides direct benefits through the Universal Child Care Benefit to help 100 per cent of families make ends meet. We're taxing families fairly through income splitting, and we're returning to families the money that they have rightfully earned through their hard work.
Conservatives understand that there are a wide variety of ways in which parents care for their children. We believe that all parents, regardless of their childcare choices, deserve support because we respect and trust the decisions that parents make.
That's a real plan that works for Canadians.
Candice Bergen
Minister of State (Social Development)