Women and Children First

by Steven Garrity in

While applying online for the Canada Child Tax Benefit program, my application was stopped and I was presented with this message:

Unfortunately, you cannot use the Apply for child benefits online service because there is a female parent in the same home.

For Canada Child Tax Benefit (CCTB) purposes, there is a presumption that when both a male and female parent live in the same home as the child, the female parent is considered to be primarily responsible for the child and should apply. However, if the male parent is primarily responsible, he can apply if a signed note from the female parent is attached to the application which states that the male parent is primarily responsible for the child(ren).

My best guess as to why this might be required would be to ensure that the benefit makes it to the women and children in homes where evil men might withhold it. I hope I’m wrong about that, because it’s horrying to think that this might be necessary.

 

5 thoughts on “Women and Children First”

  1. It’s just reverse sexism. When our daughter was born ten years ago yesterday, I was told that I could not pick her up from the hospital nursery crib as they could not identify that I was the Dad. I picked her up, asked where my father’s ID wrist tag (non-existent process) and told them to get a life as I walked my first born out into the hallway to introduce her to the sun coming in through the window.

  2. Steven – you are correct – the CCTB is provided to the female parent as the primary care provider to ensure that she is receiving the money for the direct benefit of the child – and that in the event of a split, the child care is going to the parent who is most likely to retain the primary custody of that child.

  3. Oh, and BTW there is a process for the father’s ID wrist tag, it just has to be done manually and you have to request it, rather than it being an automatic process for mother and child during the delivery paperwork-and-processing phase. Draconian as it may seem, there is good reason for the restrictions.

  4. Good to hear there is a good reason…which no doubt is just a reiteration of the sexist idea even though most hospital nursery abductions appear to be by women. And good to hear that the wrist band I was denied when I did it manually and requested has changed even though there is no reason not to have it issued automatically.

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