National Child Day nothing to celebrate

National Child Day is celebrated annually on Nov. 20 to commemorate the unanimous adoption in 1989 by the United Nations General Assembly of the “Convention on the Rights of the Child.”
Sadly, children living in Stephen Harper’s Canada had little to celebrate this year.
Since coming to office, the Conservatives not only have failed Canada’s children, they have turned back the clock on progress.
Canada’s hope for a national child care system died when the New Democrats worked with the Conservatives to pull the plug on the previous Liberal government.
The Conservative government failures for Canada’s children include:
•cancelling all national child care deals;
•eliminating the National Child Supplement;
•needlessly delaying the bill to raise the age of consent;
•failing to recognize and address the First Nations child welfare crisis;
•cancelling the education and health funding set aside in the Kelowna Accord;
•reducing funding for the Summer Career Placement program;
•cancelling $550 million for Canada Access Grants; and
•eliminating $2.2 billion for student aid.
But there is hope with the recent announcement of Stephane Dion’s “30-50” plan to reduce poverty—an initiative that would have huge benefits for Canada’s children.
This comprehensive strategy will reduce the number of Canadians living below the poverty line by at least 30 percent, and cut in half the number of children living in poverty within five years of its implementation.
The federal government can be instrumental in providing leadership and helping Canada’s children, and I will continue to work with my parliamentary colleagues to ensure the children of today have a bright future for tomorrow.