The federal government’s five-page bill enacting Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s promised two-month tax break on a variety of consumer goods over the holiday period was passed by the House of Commons late Thursday.
After a tortuous procedural process unfolding on the floor for several hours, the Liberals’ Tax Cuts for All Canadians Act cleared all stages of scrutiny in swift action, with support from the NDP.
As declared earlier in the day, Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poièvre and his MPs said that what he called “not a tax cut” was “an irresponsible and inflationist…temporary tax cut for two months.” I voted against the content.
“This is the worst possible time to spend $6 billion trying to save Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s political life,” Poièvre told reporters Thursday.
Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet and his colleagues also voted against the bill after expressing concern that the GST holiday was “a measure based essentially on the idea that the Liberal government could buy votes.” .
Green Party leader Elizabeth May supported the bill, but said in Thursday night’s debate that it was “sickening”.
Prime Minister Theresa May said, “This is not good policy. Whether it is good politics remains to be seen.”
The minority Liberal Party tabled Bill C-78 on Wednesday, making clear the decision to split the affordability package in the face of political pressure and the passage of time.
The promised $250 “Working Canadians Rebate” check remains in limbo as the focus is now on enacting a suspension of the Goods and Services Tax/Harmonized Sales Tax (GST/HST). There is.
Ahead of the vote, Government Leader Karina Gould said it was not only a “good day for the House of Commons”, but also that “Canada “It’s a good day for everyone,” he said. . ”
“Pierre Poièvre, leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, will oppose giving Canadians the next few months of furlough,” Gould said. “I think it’s really unfortunate and I think it’s unfair and a bit hypocritical for Conservative leaders to oppose this.”
The move to separate the two pocketbook parts came after the federal New Democratic Party threatened to withdraw votes that the Liberals were relying on to break a months-long privileges impasse to make the policy a reality.
“We urge the Liberal government to first introduce a separate GST holiday, then amend the checks to include seniors and people with disabilities, and then move on from that,” NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh told reporters Wednesday. We are asking you to support us,” he said.
In response to Conservative opposition to the bill, Mr. Singh called Mr. Poièvre a “billionaire predator” and “complained about middle-class families saving a little money over the holidays.” “There is,” he accused.
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland’s office will prioritize passage of a $1.6 billion tax break that includes items such as children’s clothing and toys, beer and wine, restaurants and prepared meals, and general supplies. He said he had made the decision to do so. Filler – This was to ensure it could be enacted by the promised December 14th start date.
“Canadian families will be able to purchase many holiday purchases without paying GST,” Liberal MP Ryan Turnbull said during a debate on the bill Wednesday night.
“This is a really good thing for Canadian families who have been facing cost-of-living pressures.”
Rebates for workers – which the Liberals say they still intend to continue – aren’t scheduled to go into effect until April, and the current bill doesn’t include them, so the government will have to find a way to pass them. It will take some time. Support of other parties.
Currently, rebates are not available to some elderly people, students, and people with disabilities. Both the NDP and EU countries are calling for that to change, saying non-working Canadians should be offered similar economic relief. However, doing so would significantly increase costs beyond the current estimate of $4.7 billion.
Helping the NDP clear the necessary procedural path, MPs suspended two privilege motions that had taken up nearly all of the House’s time in recent months.
This has enabled MPs to focus on the GST bill by first debating program motions to fast-track the bill and then debating the bill itself.
When Bill C-78 came up for debate around 9:20 p.m. ET, it was the first government bill to be debated in the House of Commons since late September. Two hours later, it became the first government bill to pass the House of Commons in months.
The GST bill now goes to the Senate for a second round of scrutiny. For the holiday tax cut to become a reality, it must pass the Senate.
