Alberta Finance Minister Iris Evans declined interview requests and issued a written statement Thursday after saying to raise children properly one parent should stay at home while the other goes to work.
In her statement Evans didn’t say she apologized for her remarks to the Economic Club of Canada in Toronto on Wednesday.
“I understand some people were offended by some of what I said. I did not intend to suggest there is only one way to raise a child,” Evans wrote.
“Having worked for most of my adult life while raising kids, I understand no situation is the same and that parents have to make difficult choices that are in the best interests of their children, and I applaud them for making these choices.”
In her remarks Wednesday, Evans said good parenting means sacrificing some income to stay at home while kids are young, as her children have done.
“They’ve understood perfectly well that when you’re raising children you don’t both go off to work and leave them for somebody else to raise,” Evans said.
“This is not a statement against daycare. It’s a statement about their belief in the importance of raising children properly.”
She also said a lack of education is ruining the upbringing of some children and leading to mental illness and crime.
Alberta Liberal Leader David Swann said Evans has insulted working families and called on her to apologize. He also said Evans should stick to trying to better manage the economy
“It’s a fact of life in Alberta that in many families, both parents have to work — especially now,” he said. “How much further out of touch can the Tories get?”