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.”
The NDP says it’s ‘cruel’ for the federal government to exclude retired seniors and people living with disabilities from receiving the planned $250 rebate cheques. The Liberals are defending the eligibility requirements.
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 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.