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“When it comes to child benefits, fair doesn’t mean giving everyone the same thing, it means giving people what they need,” he said. Trudeau also said, somewhat sanctimoniously, that he and his wife would be donating their $3,400 UCCB cheque to charity.

It all seems a bit rich now, if you’ll excuse the expression, considering Justin Trudeau will probably be the only person earning over $334,000 to have his childcare paid for by the taxpayer. Under the Liberals’ Canada Child Benefit, which will replace the UCCB, the Canada Child Tax Benefit and the National Child Benefit Supplement, Canadian families earning around $200,000 will receive no money from the government, whereas those parents would have collected about $1,425 for one child under the Conservatives.

Trudeau has said that that family shouldn’t expect government support to help pay for its childcare — but if that family shouldn’t, why should his?

I accept that the role of Prime Minister places extraordinary demands on Trudeau and his wife, just as any high-profile job would place on any ordinary family. Lots of wealthy families have nannies (indeed, the Trudeaus had two nannies before Justin Trudeau became Prime Minister, which they ostensibly paid for out of their own pocket). But most wealthy families don’t rely on taxpayers to pay the bill, and those same families are poised to lose the benefit they once received as soon the Liberals fulfil their promise to overhaul the child benefit system.

The issue is essentially that Trudeau is clawing back a benefit for the wealthy while putting an asterisk beside his name. Back in July, when he said that child care benefits should go to families who need them, not “wealthy families like mine,” he should have added “unless they become Prime Minister” to avoid the snafu he finds himself in now. That, or just pay for the nannies himself.

National Post

Robyn Urback • rurback@nationalpost.com | robynurback