Mr. Speaker, when I first spoke today I suggested we would hear some unanimity or some consensus in the House on how important it was to provide quality care for our children regardless of how parents chose to provide that care.
I am working out some numbers. For someone who makes $25,000 a year, after doing the full tax return here I find that they pay $4,469 in income tax. They have also paid CPP and EI. Their net cash in pocket from a $25,000 a year job I calculate to be $19,168. It is a lot of money. It is insulting to suggest with a child care tax deduction which for a $25,000 a year person would give them a benefit of about $1,700, federal and provincial about 25%, that their decision to provide direct parental care is driven by $1,750. I cannot in my heart believe it.
I believe that parents who choose to provide direct parental care do it because it is their family value. They believe it is their choice in the best interest of their children that they provide direct parent care because they believe it has a direct impact on physical, mental and social health outcomes of children and what we are really talking about are the outcomes of children here, not about taxes.
I ask the member whether she would not agree that the tax consequences we are talking about here are really minor when we consider the net income a $25,000 a year job would generate, that the economic sacrifice being made is far greater than the impact of a tax deduction.