It has been several weeks since we first heard of a leaked federal discussion paper from the Department of Health which proposed, amongst other things, a $12 to $15 billion national universal day care program.
The discussion paper noted that "it is increasingly unrealistic to expect that parents can undertake the task of ensuring early child development outcomes without systemic and structured support-the tasks are just too complicated and the competing demands on parents too engaging."
The Minister's office was quick to note that Allan Rock had not seen the paper. And the quick response team was in the department's media shop was quick off the mark with the following statement.
"The draft paper is an internal staff document that sets out an extensive menu of possible elements of the broadest overall approach to early child development that could be taken by governments and non-governmental organizations over the long term. The draft paper has not been subject to review, discussion or endorsement by senior Health Canada officials or the Minister, nor has it yet reached the stage of development for serious inter- departmental or intergovernmental decisions. The Government - would not proceed in this area without working jointly with provincial and territorial governments."
Nevertheless, this week's Liberal caucus meeting produced declarations that such a "great national project" would allow the Liberal party to seal its legacy in history.
For the record, we are fundamentally opposed to a universal day care program. The Liberals first promised such a beast in their 1993 Red Book. After some quick number crunching, the feds came up with a tally of $2.8 billion and the provinces quickly balked. Now the cost has ballooned to $15 billion - must be inflation.
Here are a few questions to ponder when assessing the feasibility of universal day care.
Don't you find it just a touch offensive that some bureaucrat in Ottawa has deemed that raising your children is just too hard for you
Yes parenting is difficult, and at times overwhelming, but it is also the most rewarding experience in life, bar none. And supports now exist for those who truly need assistance like single parents on social assistance going back to school or parents of disabled children, just to name a few. But on the other hand, with state control of child rearing, Plato would be proud!
Isn't daycare a provincial responsibility
Yes it most certainly is and the provinces and municipalities would have to deliver such a program under the Social Union Framework. You can bet that Quebec and a few others would probably say no thank you.
Can we afford another $12 to $15 billion in new spending
An excellent question indeed. According to Paul Martin we don't have room for meagre tax relief, let alone $12 to $15 billion. So it seems that such an amount in new spending should be clearly out of the question.
But shouldn't the government help parents in need
If the feds want to help Canadian families they could start by leaving more money in their pockets so parents could afford to better provide for their children. This means cutting taxes across the board and reindexing the tax system to inflation. Come to think of it, the CTF proposed just such a measure (worth $10 billion) before last year's budget.
So Mr. Rock, please tell your bureaucrats to quit typing, this idea should be treated like a dirty diaper: into the trash and quickly. As for raising my kids, I will ensure that their formative years from zero to six are as free from state interference as possible. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a "complex" job to do