Your Tax Dollars at Work, Folks!

Many of you will remember the uproar surrounding Mr. Harper's Universal Child Care plan. Upon entering office, he put the kibosh on the already-announced Liberal childcare plan - the one that was going to create additional daycare spaces in order to reduce the burden on an overloaded system where waiting lists for spaces numbering in the single-digits were increasing to triple-digit heights and to start paying those saint-like daycare workers who have one of the hardest jobs in the world just a little bit more than their embarrassingly-low salary.

In his wisdom, he declared that it just wasn't fair to put money into a program that benefited only those families with two parents who work outside the home. What about all those families who sacrifice the spoils of dual income (you know, all those cabins and boats and European vacations and thrice-weekly-fancy-restaurant visits) to ensure that their children are raised in that hallowed haven of home?

To make sure things were even-Stephen, he decided to spread that money around - $100 a month per child - and let the parents decide. This would, he claimed, give all families the choice of childcare while giving them financial help to make those choices.

Dumbest. Idea. Ever.

First off, $100 goes almost nowhere when it comes to paying childcare bills. Is it helpful? Yes. Does it do much more than begin to cover costs? No.

Second, does $100 help someone who is frantically searching for a daycare spot? No. By removing the funding for all those additional spaces, he left a groaning, strained system stranded and thousands of desperate parents high and dry.

Third, does $100 mean that a family that would otherwise be forced into having both parents work can afford to have one parent stay at home? Or let the struggling single parent who chooses work over welfare the third option of financial security while staying at home? No.

(At least, I have never met someone who said, "gosh darn it, I absolutely hate it that I have to work outside the home and we all wish that I could stay home with my precious children who are miserable in a daycare centre all day but my salary after we pay the exorbitant daycare bills nets us $100 a month that we simply need to survive.")

Bottom line is that $100/month is nice to have, but doesn't really help either the dual-income families or single-parent families (who need way more than $100 to pay their bills if they are lucky enough to have a spot) or the single-income families (whose decision to have a parent at home mostly likely didn't hinge on that $100 in the first place). In addition, this "benefit" is taxable - so we're not even talking about $1200 per child per year.

By the way, I had a vested interest in this question. When I was on my own with the kids, my ability to remain independent and afloat was heavily reliant on a) available government-subsidized spaces and b) a sliding payment scale (again, government-subsidized). Even though this whole childcare program debate came about when I was no longer requiring those government subsidies, I was vocally supportive of sticking with the Liberal plan, even though it meant I wouldn't see Stephen's $100/month at all.

But nobody listened to me, and I just had to shrug my shoulders and put my $1200/year/per chlid/after tax towards my mounting childcare costs and commiserate with other desperate parents as we searched in vain for open spaces.

After we moved, I sort-of-kind-of-maybe-just-a-bit-intentionally forgot to inform the CRA that I'd moved to the States. It wasn't really malicious or sneaky; I just figured everything would come out in the wash at tax time. And since I wasn't using my Canadian bank account very often, it was pretty easy to sort-of-kind-of-maybe-just-a-bit-intentionally not notice that I was still receiving the $100/month Universal Child Care benefit.

(You know - my beer and popcorn money.)

So, right around tax time, and after finally noticing the dire warning that if I didn't inform them immediately of my change in residence, something on the "very bad" scale would happen, I called in. To the actual Universal Child Care department. Where I was informed that my change of address was now recorded in their system and, (I quote), "I guess they'll contact you if they want any money back."

Figuring I'd done my civic duty, and that money would stop appearing in my account monthly and a letter demanding the return of all monies received while no longer a resident would appear shortly, I left it at that. I was a bit puzzled when I didn't receive a letter, and when money kept showing up for a couple of months, but I figured, hey, bureaucracy's a big ship, it takes awhile to turn it.

I got a letter today.

Addressed to me personally. At the address at which I now reside. As in, not a Canadian address. Right there in black and white - USA.

It informs me that I continue to qualify for the childcare benefit for 2008 and that deposits will continue to be made directly. Oh, and to let them know immediately if my address has changed, otherwise payments will be discontinued.

So, to recap: a non-Canadian resident receives a letter that is addressed to her at her non-Canadian address informing her of her eligibility to receive a Canadian benefit.

This isn't a case of the left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing - this is a case of the left hand not having a hot clue.

Of course, far be it from me to complain about free money, even if it is technically unmerited. Unfortunately, given what I know about this particular left hand, it will suddenly realize in 2015 that I received a year's worth of benefits incorrectly, and only then will I receive the request to return the money. With interest.

Just thought y'all might like to know that the system continues to work. And that Mr. Harper's brilliant child care plan (you know, the one that promised equal opportunities for all parents) is so successful that its benefits extend beyond Canadian borders and are subsidizing the American childcare system in addition to not doing any good back at home.