On November 20 of each year, countries around the world celebrate National Child Day

On November 20 of each year, countries around the world celebrate National Child Day as a reminder of our shared commitment to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. As Minister of Human Resources and Social Development, I invite all Canadians to become involved in activities across the country that celebrate our children.

The Convention recognizes the key role that parents and families play in the lives of children. The Government of Canada has made supporting families and children a priority. We recognize the diversity of family’s needs and circumstances, and we support a wide range of initiatives and programs to help them provide their children with the best possible start in life.

We have introduced Canada's Universal Child Care Plan - a plan that is responding to the diversity of Canadian families.

Canada's Universal Child Care Plan consists of two key elements: the Universal Child Care Benefit and the Child Care Spaces Initiative. Together, these elements can help families balance work and family life as they see fit, regardless of where they live or their child care preferences.

Through the Universal Child Care Benefit, the Government is providing direct financial support to all eligible families with children under age six and providing real choices to parents. Every month, over 1.4 million families receive $100 for each of their children under six to help pay for the kind of child care they choose for their children.

Recognizing that access to child care spaces is also a challenge faced by many Canadian parents, the Government will be investing $250M a year, beginning in 2007 under the Child Care Spaces Initiative, to support the creation of child care spaces in communities across the country.

The Universal Child Care Plan is in addition to a number of other supports for families with children, from the Canada Child Tax Benefit and National Child Benefit Supplement to maternity and parental benefits under Employment Insurance, the Canada Education Savings Grant and Learning Bond, and the Child Disability Benefit. These important initiatives are making a real difference in the lives of families.

I encourage everyone to take time today to celebrate our children; to be thankful for their presence in our lives and for the future that they represent.

The Honourable Diane Finley, P.C., M.P.
Minister of Human Resources and Social Development