Below is a collection of party platform and video links regarding child care, early learning and family related issues in Canada. This is a good summary to help you better understand what each party is proposing to support (or has supported) should their party make up the next Federal Government.
Conservatives
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Delivered choice and support to parents through the Universal Child Care Benefit: $1,200 per year in direct support for every child under six – over $3.7 billion in 2006 and 2007 to help parents with the cost of child care |
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Invested $250 million per year to assist the provinces and territories in creating new child care spaces |
No Platform/Policy Announced – Just this.
Child Care Choices and Spaces
Stephen Harper talks about what his government has done for families (found at min 2:45)
Conservative Ad on Family
Attack Ad on Stéphane Dion (Liberal) re Universal Child Care Benefit
Put out by the Conservatives
(Here is the link to where the Liberal Party dismissed this claim)
NDP
NDP – Child Care Platform
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Enact the New Democrats' Early Learning and Child Care Act – which has already passed Second Reading in Parliament – to establish the program in law for the first time in Canada.
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Establish and adequately fund a Canada-wide child care and early learning program. We will make high quality, accessible, affordable, non-profit and licensed child care available to Canadian families, including aboriginal Canadians.
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These initiatives will create 150,000 new child care spaces in the first year, growing to 220,000 spaces per year in the fourth year.
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Ensure a healthy head start for kids. We will develop a Children's Nutrition Initiative to support and expand provincial and local programs that provide healthy meals to school children.
Jack Layton announced National Child Care Plan
Liberals
- A new Liberal government will allocate federal funds, increasing over a four-year period to help establish new agreements with the provinces and territories, to create new and improved quality spaces and increase accessibility for families across Canada.
- At full implementation, the federal investment will climb to $1.25 billion annually.
- Today’s announcement is in addition to a commitment that a new Liberal government will maintain the $100-a-month cheques that some families have come to rely on. We will also introduce a new refundable child tax credit worth $350 to families for every child under 18. A new Liberal government will also provide up to $1,225 per year to Canada’s poorest families through a new Guaranteed Family Supplement.
Ken Dryden speaks about child care
The Liberal response to the Conservative's claim that the Liberals will cancel the $1,200 Universal Child Care benefit.
The Liberal backgrounder on their child care announcement.
Bloc Party
I could not find any platform or video links specific to Early Childhood Education/child care. Here is the link to their website.
Green Party
Elizabeth May speaks on child care and early childhood education (Found at minute 7:20).
Link to Green party policy platform on child care