Larry Maguire, Member of Parliament for Brandon Souris and The Honourable Pierre Poilievre, Minister of Employment and Social Development announce an extension for families to sign up for the Universal Child Care Benefit.

Brandon-Souris MP Larry Maguire is busy promoting government programs that benefit families in the region.
An estimated 7,674 families with children in Manitoba including 370 families in Brandon are eligible to receive money under the Government’s proposed enhanced Universal Child Care Benefit (UCCB), but are at risk of not receiving the benefit unless they apply.

The Honourable Pierre Poilievre, Minister of Employment and Social Development, along with Member of Parliament Larry Maguire, wants families to know they need to apply.

 “Our Government is making life more affordable for hard-working families in Westman by enhancing the Universal Child Care Benefit,” said Maguire. “More families will now be able to benefit and have more money in their pockets to spend on their priorities as a family.”

The majority of families with children, approximately 3.8 million, are known and will automatically receive the enhanced UCCB or be contacted by the Government to confirm their information. However, it’s estimated that 200,000 eligible families in Canada are not currently captured by the Government’s UCCB system and may miss out on receiving money that is owed to them unless they apply. In 2015 alone, this represents potentially millions of dollars in unclaimed benefits.

Under the proposed enhancements to the UCCB, families would receive almost $2,000 per year for each child under 6 and $720 per year for each child aged 6 through 17. The new benefit amounts would be retroactive to January 1, 2015 and be reflected in monthly payments to families in July 2015. The proposed enhancements to the UCCB are expected to more than double the number of families that benefit from 1.6 million to more than 4 million.
It was also announced that the application deadline for the UCCB has been extended until May 15 so that more families can receive their UCCB cheque in July.
 

“Now that the Harper Government has balanced our budget, we are helping hard-working families balance theirs. That’s why we want to ensure that every family with children receives the enhanced Universal Child Care Benefit. If you've;got kids under 18, you qualify. It doesn’t matter how much you make or the type of child care you choose. Apply now so you can receive the money that is owed to you,” said the Hon. Pierre Poilievre, Minister of Employment and Social Development.

If your family is not currently receiving the UCCB, has never received the UCCB, or has never applied for the Canada Child Tax Benefit and you still have children under 18 in your care, please go to www.canada.ca/taxsavings in order to find out how you can apply.