Liberal Party - Parenting and Family Issues

This post describes some of the key parenting and family issues outlined in the Liberal Party's platform.

Family Needs and Finances

• Cut lowest income tax rate to 13.5% from 15% and cut the middle class tax rate to 21% (down from 22%) and to 25 % (down from 26 %). These deductions will be paid for via new carbon taxes.


• By the fourth year, provide a new annual child tax credit worth $350 per child.


• Expect to reduce the number of people living below the poverty line by 30% and reduce the number of children living below by poverty line by 50% (using a variety of tax credits including the child tax credit mentioned above, creating a Guaranteed Family Supplement that would give Canada's poorest families up to $1225 per year more per family, making the full National Child Benefit available to all families earning up to $26,000, etc.)


• Option to take shorter parental leave at a higher benefit level or longer leave (up to 18 months) at a lower benefit level.

Helping Families Reduce Energy Costs

• Double the federal financial incentives to help Canadians make energy-saving home retrofits, providing up to $10,000 worth of refundable tax credits for any household that invests in energy saving measures.


• Will introduce a $140 million low-income homes retrofit partnership program to help upgrade low-income housing across Canada and reduce energy costs for people living in low-income housing.

Children and Child Care

• Rebuild the national child care agreement with the provinces that was canceled by the Conservatives, with a long term goal of coast-to-coast high-quality, universal, community-based, early education and child care using an incremental investment that would climb up to $1.25 billion annually by the fourth year.

Women's Rights

• Wish to advance the equality and economic status of women


• Amend the Criminal Code to include "gender" in the hate propaganda provisions to help end societal acceptable for those who would incite hatred against women


• Amend the Divorce Act to include consideration of family violence in determining custody and access


• Redesignate "equality" as the main goal of the Women's Program at Status of Women Canada, overturn changes to the funding rules of the Women's Program to make funds accessible to groups advocating for women's rights, reopen Status of Women regional offices, and reinstate and double funding for the Court Challenges Program.


• Create an independent Commissioner for Gender Equality to ensure that legislation and policies of the government are examined with an equality lens.

Family Health and Safety

• Invest $50 million to build a more robust food safety-net, including getting inspectors back on the floors of the plant, recruiting more inspectors, ensuring inspectors have the best technology, expanding inspections, etc.


• Reinstate the Canadian Health Network website to provide up-to-date, authoritative information on healthy living and disease prevention


• Expand the Canadian Health Measures Survey to provide more detailed information on major health concerns such as diabetes, obesity, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, exposure to infectious diseases and exposure to environmental contaminants.


• Help protect Canadians from exposure to harmful contaminants from polluted air and water and toxic substances in our products.


• A variety of measures proposed to address gun and gang violence.


• Introduce legislation that would include robust Internet luring provisions and address cyber-bullying.

This information was taken from the Liberal Party platform document, entitled Richer, Fairer, Greener - An Action Plan for the 21st Century.

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