No $250 check if it doesn’t include seniors, say the Bloc and the NDP

The Bloc Québécois and the NDP will oppose the famous $250 check promised to workers by Justin Trudeau’s Liberals if it does not include seniors and retirees in the equation.

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Elected officials in the House of Commons will debate this evening the bill to realize this promise announced with great fanfare by Mr. Trudeau last week, at the same time as the two-month exemption on the GST.

This one-time “Rebate for Canadian Workers” of $250 will be paid directly into the accounts of workers who earned $150,000 or less in net employment income in 2023.

On Tuesday, Jagmeet Singh drew a line: no support from the NDP if the check does not also cover retirees and seniors.

The Bloc Québécois added another layer on Wednesday by inviting spokespersons from organizations representing seniors and retirees to speak to journalists.

“250 dollars for someone who makes $150,000 is a drop in the ocean, but 250 dollars for someone who makes $22,000 a year is a lot,” denounced Pierre Lynch, of the Quebec Association for the Defense of the Rights of Retired Persons.

Despite repeated questions, Liberal MPs and ministers have not indicated whether they will review their promise, already estimated at $4.75 billion. Adding seniors and retirees to this measure will cost a few billion more.

The Liberals maintained that their party has already done a lot for this age group, in particular with the dental care program, which gives them priority, or the improvement of the tax credit for support for seniors.

And without the support of at least one opposition party, the $250 check may never find a buyer.