Mr. Speaker, I think the member was right in his assessment on where my heart is on parents who choose to provide direct parental care.
However, one of the things I have learned is that one does not pit one group against another. We should not make judgmental calls on people's choices. We should be promoting flexible options and letting parents make the choice.
When I started in this place I pushed on the discrimination side. I continue to deliver on behalf of my constituents and Canadians from all provinces who want me to table petitions on discrimination against stay at home moms.
But the member will know that one of the major changes made in the last couple of federal budgets was the increased investment in the Canada child tax benefit of $1.7 billion. It is fully available to those making under some $25,000, and in fact people earning up to over $60,000 are still getting some benefit. It was primarily directed at those families who had lower and middle incomes. The value of that, as the secretary of state laid out, is very significant. In fact it is greater than the value of the child care expense deduction.
I believe the member should look more carefully at not just what happened in the tax act, but what has happened since to other non-taxable benefits. He will find that the attitude of the government has been to put the interests of children first because, according to our commitment to the UN on the rights of the children, children have the first call on the resources of the nation.
I ask the member to be very judicious in suggesting that somehow I do not agree with one item. I put it in the whole context and say that kids are being treated fairly.