Home › Policy Articles: Children & Family: Daycare & Childcare: 2006

In this brief paper, Richard Zuker proposes restructuring the Conservative Party’s Universal Child Care Benefit (UCCB). Zuker’s proposal is intended to address some criticisms of the program. According to the author, the UCCB has been criticized at the policy framework and design levels.

Norma Kozhaya says this model of daycare benefits some parents and harms others. Researchers estimated that families with annual incomes between $25,000 and $40,000 were worse off under the new system, while families with incomes of $60,000 or more benefit most.

Despite a strong economy in British Columbia, the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives argues that women have been largely excluded from its benefits.

According to Ken Battle, Sherri Torjman and Michael Mendelson, the Conservative Party’s Choice in Child Care Allowance is flawed. This new plan, the authors contend, has a hidden cost: that of higher income taxes and lower payments.

The Universal Child Care Benefit (UCCB) is the Harper government’s first major social policy initiative since taking office. As the authors point out, UCCB has improved since its was first proposed as the Choice in Child Care Allowance. In their view, however, two serious flaws remain. According to Ken Battle, Sherri Torjman and Michael Mendelson, one flaw is that the UCCB will be taxable for the lower-earner parent in a couple and the lone parent in single-parent families. As a result, families with the same income but of a different type will receive different after-tax benefits. In the new program, single-parent families will end up with the smallest after-tax benefits. The other problem with the UCCB, the authors posit, is the abolishment of the $249 annual young child-care supplement that was part of the Canada Child Tax Benefit. Mainly low- and modest-income families used this supplement; in the authors view, its loss, along with the increase in taxable income, will make the distribution of net benefits unfair.

In this short paper, Ken Battle analyzes the Conservative Party’s plan for a Choice in Child Care Allowance.

The debate on the Child Care Allowance revealed a clash of philosophies, that of cash-to-parents versus cash-to-provinces. Ideological debate aside, Ken Battle posits the $1,200 Child Care Allowance has significant design flaws that will negatively impact families of different types and incomes.

This report assesses the trends in child poverty in Nova Scotia over the course of a five-year period (1989-2004), and examines the impact of the National Child Benefit Program that was established in 1998.

Shelley Phipps examines maternity and parental benefit programs that have developed over the past decade and “what changes might still be necessary.”