Mr. Speaker, the Reform Party has long called for equal tax treatment for one income families who care for their children at home. In fact this is part of our Reform blue book and was a central part of our 1997 election platform.
We should be offering a child care credit for all parents regardless of the method of child care they choose. Research from around the world shows that direct parental care for young children is one of the best methods of fostering secure attachment and preventing problems in adolescence and adulthood.
According to a national poll fully 94% of Canadians identified lack of time to spend with offspring as a serious stress on family life. In a poll conducted last year 92% of Ontarians said it was preferable for a young child to be at home with a parent. Yet the government implements tax policies which discourage and in fact discriminate against such an arrangement.
The most important relationship for the long term health of the nation is that of the parent-child bond. The family is the building block of society.