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THE ISSUE
This election is about a new future for Canada where the winds of change bring benefits for mainstream Canadians. A future of hope, where government stands up for ordinary people who work hard, pay their taxes, and play by the rules.
We will give hard-working families a break by cutting the GST. We will give parents a break by delivering a $1,200-a-year Choice in Child Care Allowance for children under 6.
Assistance for families who have kids in organized sports is another part of our plan for hard-working families. This support will be provided for each child under 16.
Parents across Canada put their children in community sports programs for many reasons. It gives parents and their kids an opportunity to be engaged in their communities. It gives kids an opportunity to learn the values of teamwork, to build character, and to dream of stardom. Families imagine their kids on a podium representing their country or becoming the next Hayley Wickenheiser or Vincent Lecavalier.
Unfortunately, families who struggle to make ends meet find it difficult to register their children in local sports activities. A significant minority of parents (46%) feel that high costs prevent children from being more physically active.1
The most popular sport for Canadian children of both sexes is soccer, though boys are more likely to play hockey while girls’ favourite sport is swimming.2 Complete details appear in the appendix.
An important part of health care is prevention, including ensuring that Canadians, especially children, get a proper level of exercise. The ideal level of activity for children — in fact all Canadians — is the amount of daily exercise equivalent to any of the following:3
- one-half hour of martial arts plus one hour of walking;
- one-half hour of running plus one hour of walking;
- one hour of team sports plus one hour of walking.
THE PLAN
As part of our broad-based program for families, we will provide a tax break for sports registration fees.
A Conservative government will allow the parents of young people under 16 years old who register their children in organizations that promote physical fitness to claim a federal tax credit on registration fees to a maximum of $500 per year per child.
Our tax credit will apply to all children under 16. There are approximately 6.1 million children in this age bracket. The credit will apply to actual registration costs, to a maximum of $500 per child.
There is no limit to the types of activities that parents and children may choose, provided that they support physical fitness. Examples of activities that are fitness-related might include children’s swimming, parent-and-tot swimming, soccer, hockey, skating, figure skating, basketball, tennis, badminton, martial arts, jogging clubs, cycling, cross-country skiing, ballet, dance, and dancercise.
We estimate the fiscal impact of the tax break to be $130 million annually.
THE CHOICE
The Liberals’ approach to families is to build programs that transfer money from one politician to another politician. The Liberals and NDP believe in instituting big bureaucracies and programs run from Ottawa.
Only the Conservatives will put more money in the pockets of Canadian families so that they can make the choices that are best for their family. Only the Conservatives will provide tax breaks to families for the cost of sport registration fees.
1. Canadian Fitness and Lifestyle Research Institute, 2004 Physical Activity Monitor. The survey found that 18% of parents strongly agreed that high costs prevent children from being more physically active, while an additional 28% moderately agreed.
2. Sport Participation in Canada, 1998 Report, p. 25.
3. The Canadian Fitness and Lifestyle Research Institute recommends enough daily activity to burn 6-8 kilocalories of energy for each kilogram of body mass.
