Liberals table GST holiday legislation, putting $250 rebate on backburner
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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's promised holiday consumer relief package has been split in half. After NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said his party was only ready to help pass the GST/HST holiday portion of the affordability announcement, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland tabled legislation Wednesday that only seeks to enact that measure.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's promised holiday consumer relief package has been split in half.
After NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said his party was only ready to help pass the two-month Goods and Services Tax/Harmonized Sales Tax (GST/HST) portion of the affordability announcement, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland tabled legislation Wednesday that solely seeks to enact that measure.
"We are demanding that the Liberal government put in place a separated GST holiday first, and then fix the cheques to include seniors and people living with disabilities before we support that," NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said before question period.
The Bill, C-78, spans just five pages and seeks to amend the Excise Tax Act "in order to implement a temporary GST/HST holiday," on a slate of items including children's clothing and diapers, beer and wine, restaurant and pre-prepared meals as well as common stocking stuffers, between Dec. 14, and Feb. 15, 2025.
This concession comes after Singh – who was briefed on Trudeau's major affordability announcement before it was made last week– walked back his full support, saying he wasn't aware that not all seniors, students, and other non-working Canadians wouldn't be eligible for the "Working Canadians Rebate."
This move leaves Trudeau's promise of a new one-time benefit payment of $250 for 18.7 million workers hanging in the balance as it too, needs legislation to be enacted.
"People are desperate for relief, and the NDP has won a little help for them," Singh said in a statement after the bill was tabled. "A GST/HST holiday will be passed tomorrow night... The NDP also supports providing people with $250 cheques, which we will pass at a later date if the Liberals agree to include the most vulnerable people who need it."
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