Thank you very much.
We've always supported a wide range of choices for mothers and fathers. If the mother, or both parents, want to work, they should have a choice of a relative caring for the child or a small day care centre.
In February 2005 the Vanier Institute of the Family did a study asking parents their preference in terms of child care. Their primary choice was that pre-school children should be cared for by parents at home. This is the choice that Canadians are making, and they want to have that choice. We believe that family-friendly taxation will give all parents that choice. The next choice would be a grandparent caring for young children; after that, a relative or a home day care; and last, institutional day care.
There is a place for large day care centres if people want to use them, but we believe that Canadians should have a wide range of choices. A universal institutional type of day care system is very expensive. Government studies from 1985 indicated it would be $15 billion a year. The people who promote this type of system—it's a large, unfortunately, Soviet style system—never mention that it's going to be $15 billion a year. It's going to reduce choice, because it's going to increase taxes to the average family and fewer and fewer parents will be able to care for their children at home.
As it is now, many parents want to care for their children at home, but because of financial pressures both parents must work. We've always been in favour of relieving those barriers and pressures on parents. That will also relieve our demographic difficulties in terms of not being able to replace our population and having an ageing population. Also, it will assist in dealing with family members who are ill. If you have no one at home because everyone must work in order to pay the bills, when someone becomes ill there's no one to care for them. But if someone is willing to be a full-time homemaker.... I know in my family, my mother would take care of whoever was sick or having difficulties—financial, personal problems, or health problems. Unfortunately, we're missing that today.