Harper gets it right

OTTAWA -- As a one-time single mom who always worked outside the home, I have had personal experience with the trials and tribulations of Canada's patchwork child care system.

Unlike most parents, I was wealthy enough to pay the full cost of care for my daughter, Danelle. As a government employee, I was also one of the lucky minority of parents whose children have access to workplace daycare.

Almost every parent who works outside the home still struggles with the challenge of child care. Most do not qualify for subsidies. Try finding care for a child if you work the night shift. You choose between the disruption of picking the child up in the middle of the night or the flexibility of a caregiver in your home. All these problems are what real parents face in the real world.

Those who choose to stay home to care for their kids, or to make family or other arrangements, should not be penalized. Like father, government does not always know best.

http://torontosun.canoe.ca/News/Columnists/Copps_Sheila/2005/12/07/1341719.html

Guess that's what happens when everyone is not singing from the same book. Hey Martin, didn't you learn from Johnson that you shouldn't have people outside the tent wetting it down.

"Almost every parent who works outside the home still struggles with the challenge of child care. Most do not qualify for subsidies."

You are right...and unfortunately Harper struck a cord with many...basically he said that the gov't has been dealing poorly with this problem for decades...he says, 'we don't have all the answers, but at least, we will give you your money back'... he's bringing back the baby bonus.

Good enough for most...

(now if Social Democrat types can do something about the crummy maternity benefits that poor women can't even afford to apply for insteading of braying about 'how great it is', then maybe they can get back into the 'social conscience' game)

Social Democrats are too quick to announce 'victory' and then move on to other things without checking to see if the scheme worked or not. More often than not, social democrats forget that the victory was simply political and usually a compromised solution that was inadequate to begin with...

I think she has a right to be a but bitter, but jeez! This is downright sad. Sheila, what happened?

an extra $5 a day will not help the majority of women that you claim to be championing.

Five dollars a day will not move children from substandard daycare into quality facilities you are advocating.

While I agree, there are problems with the Liberal plan for daycare, at least they *HAVE* a plan, unlike Stephen Harper who is simply throwing money at the problem in hopes that it'll go away and buy him some votes in the process.

It's unfortunate that your bitterness towards the Liberal Party (completely understandable in my opinion) would cause you to sell out the values that you fought so hard for during the good old days of the Rat Pack.

I am beyond disappointed in you.

(my letter to the editor. What do you think?)

It is so much better for children to go into unregulated, private care where anything and everything can happen and often does. She is SO yesterday, imo.

I think it's pretty insulting, actually.

then the kids can help make up the difference by making athletic apparel to be sold at Wal Mart.

I'm not insulted. I think it's great that Harper is boldly willing to stand up for my child's access to daycare every week up through naptime on Monday.