Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
REAL Women of Canada is a national organization of women from all walks of life and from differing economic, social, cultural, and religious backgrounds. We are united in our concern for the family, the basic unit of society.
Since our incorporation in 1983, REAL Women of Canada has promoted the equality, advancement, and well-being of women, recognizing them as interdependent members of society, whether they are in the family, workplace, or community.
We commend the government for eliminating some forms of discrimination against the family, which had not been addressed by previous governments--namely, pension splitting for retired Canadians and making the spousal tax deduction equal to that of the principal earner. Other welcome family taxation measures were the $2,000 tax credit for parents with children under 18 years of age, and raising the basic personal deduction in personal income tax. Details of our policy recommendations can be found on our website at realwomenca.com.
“Tax Fairness for Families” is the title of our brief. It is only fair that government policy should remain neutral on the issue of career choice for women, including the option of remaining at home as full-time homemakers. Public policy should treat women at home and women in the labour force equally. In order to achieve a balanced and equitable tax system, we believe that the following recommendations should be implemented: one, end tax discrimination against the single-income family; two, the universal child care benefit should be increased; three, end funding to special interest groups.
First, on ending tax discrimination against the single-income family, federal tax policy discriminates against the career choice made by women who choose the career of full-time homemaker. This injustice is evident in tax policies that discriminate against the single-income family, which pays higher personal income tax than the double-income family earning the same family income. The family that does not place its children in substitute care is already the victim of discrimination regarding the child care expense deduction, which is only available to two-income families.
Public policy should equally assist and not discriminate against parents if they choose to care for their own children in the home environment. The fairest way to correct inequality in family policy is to recognize the family unit rather than the individual for tax purposes. Inequities between single-income and dual-income families can be eliminated by allowing the single-income family to split the family income to file separate income tax returns or by allowing joint tax filing.
Secondly, the universal child care benefit should be increased.
Canadian families appreciate the popular universal child care benefit, which we believe sends an important message to all Canadian parents that the work they do and the sacrifices they make to provide Canada with a future generation is valued.
Difficult economic times call for our government to consider all segments of society in redistributing tax dollars. We believe this is an appropriate time to confirm Canada's support for family expansion and provide an increased universal child care benefit to all Canadian families without discrimination. The amount of this redistribution would be comparatively minor when considering transfers that are made for other causes. Moneys for redistribution could be taken from funds given to outdated special interest groups.
Our third recommendation is to end funding for special interest groups.
The federal government gives grants and contributions estimated at $26 billion annually to numerous special interest groups, including businesses, labour unions, sport and lobby groups, such as day care advocacy groups and radical feminist organizations.
Status of Women Canada handed out grants worth $15 million in the last fiscal year, an increase of 40% since 2005. In the last decade, $225 million in tax dollars has been provided to Status of Women Canada. Our organization has always opposed such funding because it discriminates against Canadian women who do not conform to the feminist world view. Their objective of equality and full participation of women in the economic, social, and democratic life of Canada is interpreted to exclude the contribution made by family-oriented women. Their assumption that Canadian women are not fully participating in society is not acceptable to all women.
Women are not all the same. We are individuals, extremely different in our needs and interests. No single government agency or ideology can represent the views of all Canadian women, just as no single agency or ideology can represent all Canadian men. Government funding for feminist women's groups only is unacceptable and unfair. The future of our country depends on the strength of its families.
The family, which is the foundation of a nation, should be central to the formation of all public policy. Government decisions, especially tax and social policy, must be fair and equally beneficial to all Canadians. Economic circumstances have changed since the 1960s. Rather than remain fossilized in the 1960s mindset, it is time to move on and give attention to time-honoured institutions such as the family.
Thank you very much.