Government Must Stop Funding Daycare Special Interest Groups

Ottawa: The Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) reacted to today's announcement made by Human Resources & Social Development Minister Diane Finley that Ottawa will move quickly to enact the new Universal Child Care Benefit plan. The 2006 Budget confirmed the Conservative government will provide all families with an annual $1,200 allowance for each child under the age of six (which will be taxed in the hands of the spouse with the lower income).

"The child care allowance means Canadian parents will have more money in their pockets to help with the costs of child rearing. The allowance means parents will have more choice to determine how best to raise their kids," said CTF federal director John Williamson. "It is better parents have that money than institutional daycare providers."

A universal child income tax credit/payment was proposed by the CTF in its 2006/07 pre-budget presentation to the House of Commons Finance Committee in October, 2005.

"The previous government's daycare program was flawed because it passed money from politicians in Ottawa to other politicians in provincial capitals," added Williamson. "It put the priorities of bureaucracies and daycare providers ahead of Canadians families."

End Government Financing of Political Advocacy Groups -

The CTF is concerned the federal government has not moved to cut Ottawa's funding of advocacy groups, and specifically, organizations that spend tax dollars to urge politicians adopt an institutional daycare scheme.

"Today, the CTF is calling on the federal government to review its funding of third party advocacy organizations," said Williamson. "Each year Ottawa spends between $6-billion and $8-billion bankrolling the activities of special interest groups, non-government organizations and third party groups. Many of them use tax dollars to lobby Ottawa and the public to support their political objectives. This must stop. Organizations or citizens that wish to influence public policy should solicit voluntary financial support from Canadians and not do so with tax dollars. Ottawa must not compel taxpayers to support political advocacy work."