Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for that difficult question. I have received literally hundreds of letters similar to the one to which the member referred which appeared in today's Vancouver Sun where she indicated that if she is homeless it is the Liberal Party that has made the contribution to her condition because of the increases in the tax burden.
This bill increases the inequity between single and double income families. We see from this year's budget documents in very concrete terms how that increase happens. The average differential in the taxes paid by single and double income families will go from 60% to 64% under this budget in large part because of the provisions of this bill. It will do that by raising the child care expense deduction without any commensurate relief for single income families who provide their child care at home.
I was doing a talk show on a Winnipeg station last week. A lady called and said she was a qualified engineer who had given up her $70,000 a year salary to stay at home full time and care for her children. She said this was a decision she and her husband had made because they felt it was best for their family. She said she did not regret it.
She went on to say, “Please tell the Secretary of State for Multiculturalism that I gave up my entire paycheque for child care, not just a portion of it, not just $7,000 or $8,000 which is reflected in the child care expense deduction, I gave up my whole paycheque to finance our child care at home”.
That is something we ought to keep in mind. That is why this parliament ought to adopt at least a refundable credit available to all parents, that does not discriminate against one family model or another, that does not pit single income families against double income families, but treats them all as being equal under the law.