This document defines what is the National Child Benefit through which the government is helping disadvantaged Canadian children and their parents realize a better standard of living by providing them with improved benefits and services. It describes how the National Child Benefit will help and explains why it is investing in Canada's children. It also describes how the initiative is measured and what will be the next step in the commitment.

This budget document presents the federal proposal for an innovative approach to reduce child poverty and help make work pay. It first briefly reviews the situation of children in Canada and the difficulties that many families on welfare have when attempting to move from welfare to work. It then describes what federal, provincial, & territorial governments provide in the way of income support & child services. Finally, it presents the proposal for a National Child Benefit System, a joint approach that builds a stronger federal foundation for low-income families with children, accompanied by provincial/territorial investments in complementary programs targeted at improving work incentives & services for those families.

The National Child Benefit announced in the 1997 federal Budget promised 850 million dollars to move children out of the welfare rolls and the trap of poverty. This book attempts to outline the key concepts of this new program and set the stage for discussion of its potential impact. The writers do not agree. This book does not present a unified argument either supporting or critiquing the program but raises a series of important issues and concerns regarding the programs effectiveness in addressing child poverty. The question remains: Is this new federal social program a phoenix rising from the ashes of past social welfare programs or just a federal fizzle?