Canadians who are wondering what’s to come of the $250 rebate cheques previously touted by the feds a few weeks ago may be disappointed to learn there was no mention of the relief in the latest fiscal update.
In November, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced his GST holiday (known as the Tax Break for All Canadians Act) to make certain items tax-free between December 14, 2024 and February 15, 2025.
He also said the government would provide a $250 rebate cheque to some Canadians.
During that announcement, Trudeau said Canadians who worked in 2023 and earned up to $150,000 would receive the Working Canadians Rebate in early spring 2025.
However, those cheques were omitted from the initial bill announced by Trudeau, and the progress of their approval has been stalled since then.
That’s because NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said he wouldn’t support the GST holiday unless the cheques were put into a separate piece of legislation.
Singh took issue with the $250 cheques because the measure did not include payments to seniors, people living with disabilities, and people who were unable to work.
The status of the $250 rebate cheques has since been unclear, and it remains uncertain if Canadians will receive them at all, as there was no mention of the $250 rebate in the Liberals’ Fall Economic Statement on Monday afternoon.
In a statement, the Department of Finance said the proposal did not receive the legislative support to move forward.
“Earlier this fall, the Government made a proposal to deliver a $250 Working Canadians Rebate in early spring 2025. Following this proposition, the Government has not had the support in Parliament to support the measure through the legislative process,” stated the department.
“Since it hasn’t gone forward as a legislative proposal, it was not included in the 2024 Fall Economic Statement.”
Fiscal update overshadowed by Freeland resignation
The fiscal update announced that Canada’s deficit for 2023-24 reached $61.9 billion.
It also pledged a $1.3 billion border security package amidst US President-elect Donald Trump’s tariff threats to Canada if the feds did not address issues with migrants and drugs.
The release of the latest economic statement was preceded by a tumultuous day in parliament as Chrystia Freeland shocked the nation, announcing her resignation as finance minister from Trudeau’s cabinet.
In a statement shared on X Monday morning, Freeland said Trudeau had told her last Friday that he no longer wanted her to serve as his finance minister and offered her another position in the cabinet.
“Upon reflection, I have concluded that the only honest and viable path is for me to resign from the cabinet,” she stated.
Freeland continued to reveal that she and Trudeau have been at odds for weeks about how to govern the country amid the incoming Trump administration’s significant tariff threats against the country.
Following Freeland’s resignation, several MPs said Trudeau should resign and call a re-election.
Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre and NDP leader Jagmeet Singh also voiced that the prime minister needed to step down.
On Monday evening, Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc was sworn in as finance minister, replacing Freeland.
With files from Isabelle Docto
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