I'm A Big Kid Now

Harper Governent Puts Provinces On Notice About Day Care Cuts

Canadian Press
Published: Friday, February 24, 2006

TORONTO -- The new Conservative government has notified the provinces it will terminate child-care agreements signed by the previous Liberal regime as of next March.

Finance Minister Jim Flaherty says his government has a mandate to scrap the child-care deals with the provinces in favour of a tax credit for parents.

During the election campaign, the Conservatives promised to give parents $1,200-a-year cash for each child under age six.

It was unclear if Flaherty misspoke or was signalling a departure from the election promise when he referred to the payment as a tax credit.

While the Liberals signed various deals with provinces, Ontario's intergovernmental affairs minister, Marie Bountrogianni, says the change will mean the loss of 20,000 new child-care spaces for her province alone.

In Ottawa, the premiers are planning to tell Harper tonight they want him to live up to the day-care agreements.

Quebec, Ontario and Manitoba all signed pacts with the former Liberal government.

Toronto Mayor David Miller said Friday that Harper's cut in day-care funding will mean the loss of 6,000 new subsidized spaces "for the poorest people in the poorest neighbourhoods."

Bountrogianni said she'd hate to see Harper kill the plan by cutting its funding.

Ontario is committed to giving parents "one-stop shopping" at schools for everything from day care to before-after school care and breakfast programs, she said.

© The Canadian Press 2006