HAMPTON CALLS FOR ACTION ON CHILD POVERTY
Invest in child care, stop clawing back baby bonus: NDP
QUEEN’S PARK -- NDP Leader Howard Hampton says it’s time for the McGuinty government to keep its promises to Ontario’s poorest children.
Today, respected anti-poverty activist Campaign 2000 released Putting Children First: The 2005 Ontario Report Card on Child Poverty. It found 443,000 Ontario children are living in poverty. That’s one in six Ontario children.
“That Ontario - Canada’s wealthiest province -- has 443,000 children living in poverty is a disgrace. Now, more than ever, it’s clear. Dalton McGuinty is letting down Ontario’s poorest children,” Hampton said.
During the election, McGuinty promised to make ending child poverty a top priority. Instead, he broke his promise to stop the clawback of the National Child Benefit Supplement. And he has failed to invest any new provincial dollars in child care, to create affordable new spaces for working parents struggling to make ends meet.
“The best thing Dalton McGuinty could do for poor children is to start keeping his promises. He should stop the clawback of the $1,500 baby bonus for Ontario’s poorest children, like he promised. And he should invest $300 million in new provincial funding for child care, to fight poverty, like he promised,” Hampton said
