Government Programs for Families By Kyra MacInroy.

Government Programs for FamiliesBy Kyra MacInroy

Canada Universal Child Care BenefitWhat is it? It is a program which gives a $100 monthly

payment to families for each child under the age of six to help cover the cost of having a child. The program was designed for families with children, as they try to balance work and family life, by supporting their child care through direct financial assistance.

Canada Universal Child Care BenefitWho is eligible? The eligibility follows a set of standards:

- You must live with the child, and they must be under the age of 6

- You must be the child’s primary caregiver, in charge of caring for their needs and activities, their medical health- You must be a resident of Canada

- Your spouse or common law partner must be either a resident of Canada, or a permanent/protected/temporary resident as defined by the Canadian Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and must have lived in Canada for the past 19 months and has a legal permit to live here

Canada Universal Child Care BenefitHow to Apply?You should apply as soon as you can after your

child is born, the child starts living with you, or you become a legal citizen of Canada. You must apply through the Canada Child Benefits Application and then send the application to the local tax centre where you should expect to hear back after a minimum of 80 days. You will receive your first payment at the end of the month you hear back from the advisors of the benefit.

Canada Universal Child Care BenefitPros:Pros were not very popular for this benefit, the only

one given was a quote by a user on an official site.

“These credits should NOT be ended. I have three kids. Two of my own and a stepdaughter. They were all planned. We are a dual income family that lives very modestly. These credits are needed for unexpected expenses. If they were taken away, we WOULD be in poverty! Anyone against this obviously doesn’t have kids to raise.”

Canada Universal Child Care BenefitCons: -Once the taxes are deducted, then the amount of cash left

is barley enough to “cover a babysitter for a night out”. - Costs taxpayers in Canada $2.6 billion per year. - Coleen Turner, 45, a single mother with two dependent

children earns $14,000 a year. She gets a little over $1,000 in social assistance and about $600 in child benefits each month is put in a difficult situation as she can be unable to send her kids on field trips because the $18 is the difference between groceries and going hungry.“It puts me in a really bad situation, financially. If they raised that amount it would help.”

Canada Universal Child Care BenefitConsensus: The Universal Child Care Benefit does assist with

unexpected expenses for children when you have some under the age of 6, but the general public agrees that it is not enough, the fact that it is taxable and can come out to far less then $100 a month, and that the cost of paying for it puts more children into poverty then it does bring them out, proves that the UCCB is NOT an effective manner of governmental support for families.

Canada Child Tax BenefitWhat is it? It is a tax-free monthly payment made to eligible

families to help them with the cost of raising children under the age of 18. The amount received is calculated according to the information you provide on the Income Tax and Benefit Returns, but can be adjusted during the year in cases of a change to family size or marital status. It is usually received the 20th day of each month, and one week earlier in December. It also includes a child disability benefit and a national child benefit supplement for low-income families.

Canada Child Tax BenefitWho is Eligible? To be eligible, you must meet all the following conditions: - You must live with the child, and they must be under the age

of 18 - You must be the child’s primary caregiver, in charge of caring

for their needs and activities, their medical health- You must be a resident of Canada

- Your spouse or common law partner must be either a resident of Canada, or a permanent/protected/temporary resident as defined by the Canadian Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and must have lived in Canada for the past 19 months and has a legal permit to live here.

All the same application requirements as the UCCB, only the age is 18.

Canada Child Tax Benefit How to Apply? It is recommended that you apply even if you share the custody

of the child, they only live with you part time of the year, when your child is born and when your spouse or common law partner meets the requirements.

If you are the parent of a newborn in a providing prince, you can apply using the Automated Benefits Application (ABA) service, if you live outside a providing promise, you must fill out the Form RC66, Canada Child Benefits Application. Both parties have to file a return every year, even if you have no income to report. In cases of separation or divorce, both parents may share more or less equally in the care and upbringing of a child. This all must be mailed to the local tax centre and there can be an expected response within 80 days.

Canada Child Tax Benefit

Pros: It is non-taxableAnother opinion was offered on an official site:

“With the time, and when both my wife and I started to work and make a better income, the amount went down and now is not as much as it used to be. But I don not complain! I just put that money aside every month for emergencies. Some people I know chose to sue that money for their children College funds, which is not a bad idea either…”

Canada Child Tax Benefit

Cons: Complains that the taxes will only cause problems

in the long term view.

“All our federal, provincial and municipal debt and its associated interest charges will make these small tax deductions mean nothing to today's children when they enter the workforce and will spend their entire life financing and attempting to pay off the spending habits of the previous generations.”

Canada Child Tax Benefit

Consensus: Most opinion did gather that this tax benefit is

very helpful to them, as it gives extra money to families to cover little costs that add up, as well as since it is non-taxable, it will support families in a way that assists their living needs, though, some say that it may only help children in the short run, and financially, we are still setting our children up for a economic crisis in their own futures.

Employment Insurance Maternity and Parental Benefits

What is it? It is an insurance which provides Maternity and

Parental Benefits to individuals who are pregnant, have recently given birth, are adopting a child, or are caring for a newborn. The basic rate is 55% of your average insurable weekly earnings, up to a maximum amount. As of January 1, 2012, the maximum yearly insurable earnings amount is $45,900. This means that you can receive a maximum amount of $485 per week. Maternal benefits can be paid for a maximum period of 15 weeks, and Paternal benefits have a maximum of 35 weeks.

Employment Insurance Maternity and Parental BenefitsWho is eligible? You are eligible if: - The biological mother who is unable to work

because she is pregnant or has recently given birth.- The biological or adoptive parents are caring for

their newborn or newly adopted child.- The normal weekly earnings are reduced by more

than 40%; and you have accumulated at least 600 hours of insurable employment during the qualifying period or, if you are a self-employed worker, you have earned enough money during the qualifying period.

Employment Insurance Maternity and Parental BenefitsHow to Apply? When you have met the eligibility requirements, you must submit an

application online. It will take about 60 minutes to complete the online application.

- The information required to apply includes: Social Insurance Number, your mother's maiden name, your mailing and residential addresses, including the postal codes, and your complete banking information, including the financial institution name and number, the branch number, and your account number, if you want to sign up for direct deposit.

To gain parental benefits you must provide the date of birth of your newborn or, in the case of an adoption, the date on which your child was placed with you (you must also provide the full name and address of the agency handling the adoption); and

the SIN of the other parent, if you plan to share the benefits. The first payment should come 28 days after the acceptance of your application.

Employment Insurance Maternity and Parental BenefitsPros: - Huffington Post puts it at the number 6 spot on the top

countries which provide maternal and parental benefits - Tom Drake, “The best part, in my opinion, is that most of

the time can be used by mom or dad.” - “Canada has definitley got the US beat here. I took two

weeks of sick leave / vacation when my baby was born. In addition my wife only gets six weeks of short term disability that we have to opt into and pay for.”

- “I just wanted to point out that I believe the percentage of income you can earn during parental benefits has recently changed and you are now allowed to earn slightly more per week (maximum $179 if you are maxed out on EI benefits).”

Employment Insurance Maternity and Parental BenefitsCons: “$1400 per month is not enough, the cost of diapers and

formula have gone up, why hasn't Employment Insurance?" - “While we are very fortunate to get 12 months of leave, I

would love to have even an additional six months to be at home. Babies' personalities are developing so quickly and they're doing so many new things, that it makes it really hard to leave them with someone else.”

- “I feel as a small business owner that I should get maternity leave as well. It is very expensive to raise a baby and we need all the help we can get. We cannot afford to pay someone to do what I do at work. Some things will have to go undone for the first six months. I don't understand why I don't get maternity leave”

Employment Insurance Maternity and Parental BenefitsConsensus: Despite the facts that the amount received is not

enough to support a child, let alone it be near their original salary, Canada is famous for having a maternity leave which is far better then most countries, including the US. The country is famous for having both terrible child care reputation with regards to government programs, but the maternity leave is indeed a massive positive program.

Ontario Based

In Ontario, it is done though a child support order is a document from a court stating when, how often, and how much the payer is to pay for child support. Since 1997, child support payments were no longer tax deductible and the recipient did not need to declare receipt of child support in his/her income.

Ontario Based The Child Support Program offers services both within the

residential setting of the Canadian Mental Health Association's regional Women's Shelter, and in the community. Support and education are offered to women and children who have experienced violence in their homes. The services provide Education about abuse, Child Witness support groups, positive conflict resolution, safety planning, feelings identification and constructive expression, and parenting skills. To contact can be done through a Child Support Worker by calling the Women’s Shelter 24 hours per day, 365 days a year by calling: 1-705-273-2339 or in Northern Ontario 1-866-993-2339 ( toll-free ).

Referrals to the Child Witness support groups can also be initiated by social service agencies, and health professionals.

Citations Canada Universal Child Care Benefit: Service Canada, Government of Canada, Universal

Child Care Benefit, 2012-10-04, http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca/eng/goc/universal_child_care.shtml

Canada Revenue Agency, Government of Canada, Universal Child Care Benefit (UCCB), 2012-12-14, http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/bnfts/uccb-puge/menu-eng.html

The Star, The child-care challenge: Parents deserve a real choice, Friday February 04, 2011, http://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorials/article/933805--the-child-care-challenge-parents-deserve-a-real-choice

Skelton C, Vancouver Sun, Why is the Universal Child Care Benefit Taxable?, March 25, 2009., http://blogs.vancouversun.com/2009/03/25/why-is-the-universal-child-care-benefit-taxable/

Citations (continued..)Canada Child Tax Benefit

Service Canada, Government of Canada, Canada Child Tax Benefit, 2012-10-12, http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca/eng/goc/cctb.shtml

Citations (continued..) Employment Insurance Maternity and Parental Benefits Service Canada, Government of Canada, Employment

Insurance Maternity and Parental Benefits, 2013-01-07, http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca/eng/sc/ei/benefits/maternityparental.shtml

Service Canada, Government of Canada, Employment Insurance Maternity and Parental Benefits, 2013-01-11, http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca/eng/ei/types/maternity_parental.shtml#how

Huffington Post Canada, the Huffington Post, Maternity Leaves Around the World: Worst And Best Countries For Paid Maternity Leave, 10/24/2012, http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2012/05/22/maternity-leaves-around-the-world_n_1536120.html

Drake T, Canadian Finance Blog, Maternity Leave and Parental Benefits, 2013, http://canadianfinanceblog.com/maternity-leave-and-parental-benefits/

The Baby Center, 7 ways to improve in maternity leave in Canada, 2013, http://www.babycenter.ca/a1031260/7-ways-to-improve-in-maternity-leave-in-canada

Citations (continued..)Ontario BasedSupport System Exchange, Family Law

Disclosure Systems, Child Support In Ontario, http://www.supportinformationexchange.com/separated-parents/child-support-in-ontario.html

Canadian Mental Health Association, The Child Support Program, http://www.cmhact.ca/english/programs/childsupport.htm