Mr. Chair, earlier tonight the member for Oakville implied that in order for our children to be “the best and the brightest”, they need to be cared for by a massive government child care system. I want to take issue with that statement on behalf of stay at home parents across Canada.
My wife Debi and I have two kids. Early on, we made a decision that she would stay home with the kids. At the time we made the decision I was making a little under $40,000 per year, so it was a sacrifice for us. My wife did an absolutely amazing job. In my mind, she works as hard as anybody who actually gets paid for full time employment.
My daughter Jenae is now seven years old. She is in grade two and, in my mind, is among the best and the brightest. I often tell her that when she grows up she will be able to do anything she wants to do.
My questions are the following. Did we make a mistake by choosing to raise our own kids? Should I lower my daughter's expectations? Can she perhaps not do anything she wants to do because she was raised by her own parents? In the government's mind, who is best able and responsible to decide and choose how to raise our own kids to be the best and the brightest?