Mr. Speaker, I want to probe a little deeper into one issue mentioned by the hon. member for Nanaimo--Alberni. That is the issue of child care. I am following this debate as closely as I can, but there are certain aspects that I do not quite understand.
I think all of us in the House agree that early childhood intervention is important to a child's development, both cognitively and behaviourally. It sets the right trajectory academically and later in life and I think is a wise investment for government. I am not as naive to suggest that the Liberal plan is perfect, but it does take great steps on the hodgepodge of plans that exist across Canada.
As for the other plan, the $1,200, I see it as being an income support and I see it being very welcome in most families, especially in the lower and middle income families. I have listened to everything that has been said, but I fail to see how that $1,200 has anything to do with child care.
I will give the House an example. The child tax benefit and the child tax supplement have been around for about 10 years. They give about $3,000 to low income and medium income families with children, but I have never heard any parliamentarian or expert or anyone at all refer to that income support as child care. Why are we referring to this as child care? My question for the member is, how does this payment--and again, it is a welcome income support payment--have anything to do with the issue of child care?