OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau defended his government’s decision to dole out $250 cheques to working Canadians, arguing that many of them have been left out of targeted programs meant to help seniors and young families in recent years.
Speaking in Prince Edward Island on Friday, Trudeau said he had been hearing from Canadians across the country who do not qualify for any of the federal government’s initiatives, whether it is a boost in seniors’ pensions, child benefits or childcare spaces.
“I regularly meet a 26-year-old grocery worker, or a 32-year-old school teacher with no kids, or someone in their 40s who’s working in a factory, or a 50-year-old plumber whose kids have all grown, who says, ‘OK, but we’re having troubles too,’” he said.
Trudeau said those Canadians are feeling “squeezed” even though they are working hard and feel like the federal government is not “showing up” for them.
“Seeing hard-working Canadians who get up, go to work every day and make our economy and our communities successful, and recognizing them specifically … and showing that we see them, that’s what this is all about,” he added.
Trudeau announced last week that the government would be pausing the GST/HST on select items, including beer, takeout food, children’s toys and Christmas trees in time for the holidays, but also send out a new rebate for working Canadians in the spring next year.
Those rebates are expected to be sent to 18.7 million Canadians who worked last year and made $150,000 or less. They will cost $4.68 billion to taxpayers.
In the past week, federal Liberals faced fierce pressure from the NDP, the Bloc Québécois and even some in their own caucus for the $250 cheques to include retirees, people with disabilities and other vulnerable groups who did not earn an income in 2023.
As a result, the federal government opted to table a bill to solely pass the GST/HST holiday, leaving any legislation and debate on the $250 cheques for another day.
A Liberal source said the reason for splitting the measures in two was to make sure the tax break would be in effect by Dec. 14. In comparison, the government has a lot more time to make sure the cheques go out to Canadians as they are expected next spring.
Trudeau would not say when his government would be tabling legislation for the rebates, but expects they will be rolling out in April 2025.
He also said his government will look at “different ways” of helping seniors and “all sorts of different people.”
Trudeau also blasted opposition parties for not supporting his government’s current proposal on the cheques, arguing that they are against working people.
“To see the NDP, which was supposedly the party of workers, turn its back on hard-working Canadians and say, ‘no, we shouldn’t be delivering this check unless we expand it massively,’ is not recognizing working Canadians for the challenges they’re facing.”
He accused Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of “pretending to care about workers and care about affordability.” Poilievre has criticized the Liberals’ latest ideas as “irresponsible and inflationist” and said the carbon tax increase on April 1 will raise the cost of living.
P.E.I. Premier Dennis King held a press conference alongside Trudeau to announce his province is the latest to agree to join the federal government’s National School Food Program after Newfoundland and Labrador, Manitoba and Ontario.
King said he and Trudeau talked about the upcoming tax holiday. He said P.E.I. would “willingly participate” in removing the harmonized sales tax for products selected by the federal Liberals during the holidays and until Feb. 15, 2025.
“I did express to the prime minister that I wish we would have had a little more lead time and consultation through that process,” he said.
“I would have thrown a few more things on the table, maybe, that they exempted.”
King said the Liberals’ sudden announcement altered his province’s finances but said he feels “confident” the province can deal with it.
“Anything we can do to help reduce the cost of living for Islanders at a time when it’s been difficult for so many, we’re happy to do,” he said.
National Post
[email protected]
Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark nationalpost.com and sign up for our newsletters here.
Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark nationalpost.com and sign up for our politics newsletter, First Reading, here.