Mr. Speaker, child poverty is a pressing issue and the concern of everyone in the country. It cannot be eliminated overnight. It cannot be addressed by one level of government alone. The federal government has recognized this issue and its complexity and is therefore determined to continue to address it as a priority in collaboration with the provinces and territories.
That is why we have built the national child benefit system. That is why as a first step in our last budget we allocated $850 million to begin increased support to over one million children and their families starting this coming July. That is why we have allocated in this year's budget an additional $850 million to enrich this benefit over the next two years, $425 million as of July 1999 and another $425 million as of July 2000.
The goal of this additional initiative is simple: pooling federal, provincial and territorial resources to ensure that children are always better off when their parents leave social assistance.
In summary, when the annual federal assistance provided to families through the Canada child tax benefit system is fully implemented it will have increased by $1.7 billion, which is more than 30% since 1996.
The government is committed to giving our smallest infant and older children a good start in life. The national child benefit system will play a key role in fighting child poverty so as to help provide that good start for them.
This is our collective duty to humanity.