Mr. Speaker, our government is making a number of other investments to support families with children, such as: the Canada child tax benefit, which includes the national child benefit supplement for low-income families; the children's fitness tax credit and the child arts tax credit; employment insurance maternal and paternal benefits; and the Canada pension plan survivor benefit for dependent children of a contributor who is deceased or disabled. Together, with almost $6 billion in support for early childhood development and early learning and child care, these measures represent a total investment in children and their families of $19 billion in 2011-12.
The family is the building block of our society and our government will continue to support Canadian families. We believe Canadian parents know what is best for their kids. A one-size-fits-all model does not work for Canadian families. We are providing choice in child care by putting more money in the pockets of parents to choose the child care of their choice.
Due to our actions, average Canadian families have $3,000 more in their pockets, money that they can spend on their children and families.