Being in opposition comes with the crucial responsibility of holding government accountable鈥攁 duty I take very seriously. This role demands thorough due diligence and scrutiny of government policies and actions.
Over time, opposition parties typically recognize patterns in how the government they scrutinize operates, making few government policies truly surprising.
However, in the past week, all of that changed when the Trudeau Liberal government announced two measures that took many who follow Canadian politics by surprise.
The first measure was a 鈥淕ST Christmas Holiday鈥濃攁 temporary expansion of GST-exempt items from Dec. 14, 2024, to Feb. 15, 2025.
Many of the items that will soon be temporarily GST-exempt are likely to appeal to Canadian families. These include childrenB次元官网网址 clothing and shoes, car seats, diapers, and toys.
The list extends further to include books, print newspapers, puzzles, and Christmas trees -- both real and artificial.
Moreover, all restaurant dining will be GST-exempt during this period, whether dining in, taking out, or ordering delivery.
The list of temporary GST exemptions also includes several controversial items. Beer, cider, pre-mixed alcoholic drinks, junk foods, and expensive video gaming terminals will all become cheaper during this GST-free period.
The Trudeau Liberals鈥 gift-giving does not end there. They have also announced the 鈥淲orking Canadians Rebate,鈥 which will send a $250 cheque in early spring 2025 to 18.7 million Canadians who worked in 2023 and earned up to $150,000 in individual net income.
Those who are disabled or unemployed will not qualify for the $250 Working Canadians Rebate. To be clear: while those earning up to $150,000 will receive this rebate, those most in need鈥攑eople with disabilities and the unemployed鈥攚ill not qualify for this Liberal government program.
The Liberals鈥 GST 鈥淐hristmas holiday鈥 is estimated to cost $1.6 billion, while the $250 鈥淲orking Canadians Rebate鈥 will cost approximately $4.7 billion鈥攂ringing the combined cost to over $6 billion.
In provinces with harmonized sales tax (HST), this unilateral action will have an even greater impact, as their HST rates range from 13% to 15% and not just the 5% GST we have in British Columbia.
If you鈥檙e wondering why the Trudeau Liberal government believes these programs are necessary, the Finance Minister recently stated, 鈥淧eople have been talking about a 鈥榲ibecession鈥... and the fact that Canadians just aren鈥檛 feeling that good.鈥
This begs the important question, what is a 鈥渧ibecession鈥?
According to various urban dictionary definitions a 鈥渧ibecession鈥 is a neologism that refers to a disconnect between the economy of a country and the general publicB次元官网网址 negative perception of it.
In other words, the Trudeau Liberal government believes the economy is performing better than many Canadians perceive it to be. These programs are designed to help Canadians 鈥済et past that 鈥榲ibecession鈥 because how [they] feel really does have an economic impact鈥濃攁gain, I quote the Finance Minister directly.
My questions to you this week: Do you agree with the Finance Minister that Canada is experiencing a 鈥渧ibecession鈥濃攖hat is the economy actually performing better than many Canadians believe it is? Why or why not?
I can be reached at Dan.Albas@parl.gc.ca or call toll free 1-800-665-8711.
Dan Albas is member of Parliament for
Central Okanagan-Similkameen-Nicola
