Singh calls on Ottawa to extend $250 rebate to cover seniors, vulnerable Canadians
CBC
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh is calling on the Liberal government to go back to the drawing board after learning that the Working Canadians Rebate won't apply to many seniors, people with disabilities and recent graduates.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced last week that his government plans to lift the GST from some essential goods for two months to offer Canadians some relief from cost-of-living pressures.
He also said his government plans to send $250 rebate cheques to Canadians who worked in 2023 and had incomes of up to $150,000.
Singh told reporters Monday that the Liberals briefed the NDP on the measure and he believed that anyone earning $150,000 or less would receive the rebate.
"They did not specify working Canadians," he said. "We assumed obviously someone who is earning no income, they should absolutely be able to get supported."
The NDP leader said it's "wrong" to exclude some of the most vulnerable from the measure and urged the government to "fix this."
While Singh said the NDP still plans to support the government's GST holiday, he called on it to reconsider its plans for the Working Canadians Rebate.
"The GST holiday should move ahead," he said. "Let's make that happen right away. But the Liberals need to fix the cheques."
New Democrat Bonita Zarrillo, MP for Port Moody—Coquitlam, said in question period Monday that seniors and people with disabilities are the "hardest hit by rising costs driven by unchecked corporate greed because they live on fixed incomes."
"Will the government get real, reverse this cruel and callous decision and ensure seniors and persons with disabilities also get the relief they need?" she asked.
In response, Liberal MP Terry Sheehan said "this government has done more for seniors than any other."
He cited the government rolling back the retirement age from 67 to 65, an increase to the guaranteed income supplement (GIS) and an increase in Old Age Security (OAS) payments (for Canadians aged 75 and older) as evidence.
"I ask everyone in this House to stand up for seniors and to vote for our tax breaks for all Canadians," Sheehan said.
A private investigator who deals in white collar crime said buyers need to take steps to protect themselves against real estate fraud, which he said has grown in Ontario in recent years.
Residents of Crowsnest Pass in southwestern Alberta will participate in a non-binding vote today on whether or not they support the development of a nearby coal project.
Memorial University expects a lack of affordable housing options to be an issue for students for subsequent semesters, but there is one option many aren't availing of.
The City of Greater Sudbury says it expects long wait times for licensed daycare spaces to improve as it opens more spots over the next two years.
Halifax-based landlord Killam Apartment REIT recorded the "largest rental gains" in company history for when new tenants move into an apartment, according to its financial report for the quarter ending Sept. 30.
Several major automobile insurance companies are seeking approval to raise premiums they charge in New Brunswick by 10 per cent or more, blaming rising vehicle repair costs, car thefts, falling profits and other troubles.
At 20 years old, Victor Santos Cardoza has made history as the youngest person to ever be elected to council in his new hometown.
People who live along Highway 107 are once more calling on the P.E.I. government to help slow down the traffic as drivers take the popular shortcut to and from Summerside's southeastern edge.
An Alberta company has lost the right to manage its own well sites after the provincial regulator ruled the operations pose a safety risk and must be abandoned by the operator.
Transit Windsor is facing a revenue deficit of more than half a million dollars this financial quarter — and diminishing usage of the tunnel bus is being cited as a major reason.
Five years ago Ontario's auditor general recommended the province start tracking the reasons criminal charges are withdrawn by prosecutors or stayed by judges — to help reduce costs and ensure cases make it through the system efficiently amid backlogs.