Mr. Speaker, indeed, the universal child care benefit has been massively popular for exactly that reason. It helps parents to make that choice. Admittedly, it is at the margin. It is not going to make a fundamental difference, but it helps. It helps a whole lot more than taxing families.
By the way, regarding the plans of the opposition parties to create a so-called “universal government Ottawa knows best child care scheme”, according to the advocates of this so-called child care, 1% of GDP would cost at least $18 billion. Guess what? That money is not grown on trees. It is not printed by the Bank of Canada. That money would come out of the pockets of taxpayers.
Do members know what would happen? The opposition would end up raising the GST back. It would take away the child care benefit. It would remove income splitting for seniors. It has pretty much admitted that now, since it is against income splitting. It would raise taxes on families in order to give them a punitive benefit. Who would the big winners be? The big government unions.
We will not let that happen.