The Liberals intend to introduce the measures through legislation when Parliament resumes September 19, NDP sources say
Liberals to announce plan to double GST tax credit, launch youth dental care and top up housing benefits, NDP sources say
The Liberals intend to introduce the measures through legislation when Parliament resumes September 19, NDP sources say
HALIFAX — The Liberals are expected to move on doubling the GST tax credit, launching a temporary dental care program for kids and topping up housing benefits to ease the pressures of skyrocketing inflation, NDP sources have told the Star.
The New Democrats say they have inked an agreement with the Liberals that would double the GST tax credit for a period of six months. About 12 million Canadians could be eligible, the party says, and could receive between $400 to $600 through the change.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was expected to reveal more details on the trio of measures on Thursday at the conclusion of his government’s cabinet retreat, but halted the announcement in the wake of Queen Elizabeth II’s death.
“That’s something we’ve been calling for since earlier in the summer, since June,” NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh told reporters as he entered day two of his party’s caucus meetings in Halifax.
Doubling the credit is absent from the governing agreement the NDP and Liberals struck back in March, which included several priorities both parties sought to achieve by the end of 2022. Under the agreement, the Liberals pledged to commit to key NDP policies in exchange for the New Democrats supporting Trudeau’s minority government until 2025.
Both parties also reached consensus on a plan that could see low-income youth under 12 receive a cheque for dental services by the end of the year. The plan is intended to be a temporary solution until a permanent dental care plan can be implemented by the end of 2023 and extended to those under 18, seniors and people living with a disability.
Under the stopgap measure, families would be able to receive a $650 cheque for each child requiring dental services. Those eligible will have to attest that they have a child under the age of 12, that they earn less than $90,000 a year, and that they don’t receive any dental benefits through their work. Families would be able to receive the cheques in 2022 and 2023, at which point they would be issued a dental card that could be presented at a dentist’s office with services directly billed to the federal government.
The third pillar of the plan is a payment of $500 for people who currently receive the Canada Housing Benefit and spend at least 30 per cent of their monthly income on rent. About two million people stand to benefit from the top-up, the source said.