Liberal MPs ask to expand $250 cheques to retirees

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OTTAWA — Cracks were starting to show within the Liberal caucus on Wednesday over their government’s plan to deliver $250 cheques only to working Canadians next spring.

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The federal government announced last week that the new Working Canadians Rebate would apply to all people who worked in 2023 and who earned less than $150,000. That excludes retirees, people with disabilities and other groups who are unable to work.

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In a post on X, Ontario Liberal MP Chad Collins said he felt his primary responsibility was to respect and represent the needs of his constituents and that he would therefore vote against his government’s affordability package because it excludes those groups.

His colleague, David McGuinty, said he too had been relaying concerns from seniors and the disabled community in his riding about the cheques that they will not be receiving.

“For me, everything is negotiable,” he said.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau would not say if he were open to changing the eligibility criteria on the cheques on his way to his weekly caucus meeting on Wednesday morning. He said only that he and his MPs were going to have a “good conversation.”

Trudeau announced last week that his government would temporarily pause the GST/HST on a slew of items for the holidays and send cheques to all working Canadians next spring.

Both the Bloc Québécois and the NDP have said they are not willing to support the government’s latest affordability measures if the $250 rebate is not expanded to include retirees. The New Democrats said they would be willing to pass the GST/HST tax break on its own.

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The minority Liberals need the support of one of the other parties in the House of Commons to pass the measures, which are expected to cost $6.3 billion.

The government was expected to table legislation later Wednesday, but it was unclear if the two measures would be divided into two separate bills.

Bill VanGorder, from the Canadian Associated of Retired Persons (CARP), told the National Post the announcement is an “affront to our members” and called on them to contact their MPs to voice their displeasure. “That’s where the real pressure happens,” he said.

NDP MP Don Davies said the unfairness of sending a cheque to someone making $148,000 a year and not sending a cheque to a senior on a fixed income is “obvious to every Canadian who’s seen this.”

“Frankly, our mailboxes are just being overrun with complaints from seniors and students and people living with disabilities who are pointing out that absurdity,” he said.

Some Liberal MPs said the government has already delivered help to seniors by providing free dental care and increasing Old Age Security for people aged 75 and older.

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“I think what we’re missing from this conversation is that the government has done a lot for seniors over the last number of years,” said Nova Scotia MP Kody Blois.

Blois, however, expressed optimism that more help would be coming to older Canadians.

“If the government chooses to not do this, I am confident that we will have other measures for seniors down the line,” he said.

Prince Edward Island MP Sean Casey said the government does not have “infinite resources” to dole out cheques to everyone who wants them.

Even though he supports the measure, Casey said it was worth having a conversation about how the cheques are distributed.

Ontario MP Francis Drouin said there is often discontent each time there is a new announcement but added that “the focus right now is on working people.”

His colleague, John McKay, said his government “heard loud and clear” that Canadians want some relief from the cost-of-living crisis and said the cheques are a good “attempt” to alleviate some of these concerns.

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“However imperfect it might be, I think it’s a gesture that will actually move the needle in terms of affordability,” he said.

McKay also shrugged off the idea that the $250 cheques is causing caucus unrest.

“I really don’t have an opinion or comment on ‘Liberals are Liberals,’” he said. “If you say today is sunny, well, there’s at least three opinions as to whether today was sunny.”

“The beauty of the Liberal caucus is we disagree about everything.”

National Post
calevesque@postmedia.com

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