NDP uses mother’s child care benefit donation as fundraising tool

OTTAWA - The federal NDP seems to be encouraging parents who don't need the newly enhanced universal child care benefit to donate the money to the party.

The party's latest fundraising email blast cites the example of Ella, a financially-secure single mother who intends to donate her UCCB windfall to the NDP.

"Ella's not the only one who feels this way," the email blast concludes.

"After a decade of Stephen Harper's Conservatives, Canadians want change in Ottawa. If you can, please donate to help build the campaign."

The party denies the missive is designed to encourage people to follow Ella's example; it is simply using Ella's "inspiring story" to make its latest solicitation for donations more interesting.

But deputy Liberal leader Ralph Goodale said the pitch is "tawdry."

"You're turning a social support program into a political milch cow and that is very offensive," he said.

Goodale said the missive underscores the "fundamental flaw" in the UCCB: the fact that the benefit goes equally to wealthy parents, whether or not they actually need it.

NDP Leader Tom Mulcair has promised that a New Democrat government would keep the enriched UCCB in place.

The NDP fundraising missive comes during a week in which Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau has stepped up his criticism of Mulcair for perpetuating a Conservative benefits regime that gives equal payouts to parents, regardless of income.

It reproduces an email sent to Ottawa MP Paul Dewar by Ella, in which she says she was disgusted by Employment Minister Pierre Poilievre's "offensive partisan announcement" earlier this week, touting the boost in UCCB payments which parents started receiving this week in a lump sum back-dated to January.

She says she got her cheque but can't bring herself to cash it because it "feels tainted ... like a dirty little attempt to buy my vote."

"Fortunately, I am a well-educated, financially secure single mom and cashing this cheque (or not) will not materially affect my daughter's opportunities," she says.

"But feeling like my household's votes could be bought by some character in a Conservative golf shirt may."

She volunteers to sign over her cheque to Dewar or, if that isn't an option, to cash it and provide him with a donation.

NDP spokesman George Soule said Ella encouraged the party to share her story, so it did.

Trudeau said earlier this week he would give his family's UCCB windfall to a charity in his riding.

He is proposing to replace the UCCB with a progressive, tax-free child benefit that he says would give all parents with household incomes of less than $150,000 more money than they currently get. However, his benefit would be gradually reduced for those earning more and cut off entirely for those with incomes over $200,000.

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