Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to stand in the House today and speak to Bill C-241 brought forward by the hon. member representing the riding of Nepean.
I was disappointed to hear the previous member speak on behalf of our government. She was speaking of the great intent of the finance department and saying that we must get it right, that we have to take time. Today in this House new legislation for employment was tabled. Sometimes we have to redo legislation. It is very important that we move on this and I do not want to see us
delay. We need to move quickly to amend the Income Tax Act so that support payments for children are no longer considered taxable income for the recipients.
Children are our most valuable resource, the most precious asset of our country. I am in favour of investing in their future. All people must realize that by investing in our children we are investing in our own future. Failure to do so will cost us dearly.
Very often the causes of child poverty have been linked to family breakdown. Whatever the causes of child poverty it must be addressed. Principle 2 of the UN Declaration on the Rights of the Child states:
The child shall enjoy special protection, and shall be given opportunities and facilities, by law and by other means, to enable him to develop physically, mentally, morally, spiritually and socially in a healthy and normal manner and in conditions of freedom and dignity. In the enactment of laws for this purpose, the best interests of the child shall be the paramount consideration.
Child poverty in Canada is disgracefully high. More than one million children in our country live in poverty. These poor children have many unfair obstacles in the path of their lives. Many children of poverty will suffer more illness than other children. They will require more emergency food assistance and they are more likely to become drop-outs from our schools. These unfortunate children through no fault of their own can expect to have a shorter life span. These facts are unbelievable, sad, disgraceful and, I am sorry to say, true.
I call on our Prime Minister, our cabinet and all members of the House to focus on one of the greatest tragedies in this country and one of the greatest tragedies of this century: the neglect of our greatest resource for the future, the children of Canada.
Mr. Speaker, I ask you and my hon. colleagues to look deeply into the hurting faces of some of our young children living in poverty and recognize their hurt. While I do call on all members of the House to focus more on child poverty in this country, I gratefully acknowledge that progress is being made in some areas.
Today the Minister of Human Resources Development introduced a new employment system for Canadians. A family income supplement provides basic protection for low income families. Employment insurance claimants with children and a family income under $26,000 will be eligible for insurance benefits that top up and reflect their family circumstances. The family supplement will be better targeted to low income families and will deliver a larger benefit for those families who are most in need. This is a real step in the right direction.
In most cases Canadian tax laws have created inequities between the payers and the recipients of child support. What other country treats the taxation of child support in this way? The husband contributes money toward the welfare of his children while he is married and the wife is not penalized by additional tax burdens during this period. Therefore, why is there a difference between a parent paying for household necessities while living with their spouse and a parent who is living separate from their spouse who is still paying for the same household necessities? Child support payments are simply a continuation of a father's obligation to support his children when he is divorced. They certainly should not be taxed.
The motion gives us an opportunity to make a significant difference in a meaningful way which will affect the lives of many children in Canada. The average child support order covers less than half of the cost of raising a child. Therefore, it is not fair or just to tax back a large percentage of support payments which are meant to clothe and feed our children. We as legislators in the House of Commons must stand up to introduce further measures of justice and fairness in our tax system, particularly as they relate to the future of our children.
Loving parents will take desperate measures to care and provide for their children. Sacrifices are continually made by mothers. These desperate measures can be very costly to the mothers, to the children and to our country in the long run. Scars can be left on the parents for a long time. Scars of many kinds are left on the children.
I again congratulate and thank the hon. member for Nepean for a commitment to this very important bill. I ask all members of the House to support the bill. It is a bill upon which we should move quickly.