|
Will MacDonald Government Clawback Childcare Money? |
|
|
|
Written by NDP News Release
|
|
Tuesday, 28 February 2006 |
NDP Community Services Critic Marilyn More is pressing Premier MacDonald and Community Services Minister David Morse to say whether or not the government will claw back the new federal Conservative "choice in childcare" payments from parents receiving income assistance.
"We may have a new premier, but we also have a number of old, unanswered questions. How much will our lowest income children really benefit if the province takes the federal money for its own coffers instead of leaving it with families on income assistance? We do not have a good track record in putting children's interests first in NS."
The Conservative government in NS clawed back the National Child Tax Benefit Supplement until the policy came under harsh criticism. When forced to restore that supplement in 2002, they eliminated the $133 a month per child personal allowance for families on income assistance.
Late last week, the federal Conservative Human Resources and Social Development Minister Diane Finley confirmed the federal government will cancel federal-provincial agreements on multi-year child care funding and replace it with a monthly payment to parents of $100 for every child under the age of six.
"Parents do not have enough access to quality, affordable, regulated early child care and learning in Nova Scotia. We cannot allow the provincial government to undermine even the inadequate measures coming out of Ottawa."
|
