(Ottawa) Three associations representing Quebec seniors demanded Wednesday that the Trudeau government expand its one-time $250 assistance for retirees. The measure reserved for workers for the moment is not unanimous within the Liberal caucus.
Posted at 1:25 p.m.
“We must maintain and increase the pressure because this omission is unacceptable,” said the president of the Quebec Association for the Defense of the Rights of Retired and Pre-retired Persons (AQDR), Pierre Lynch, at a press briefing.
The Bloc Québécois brought together on Wednesday representatives of the AQDR, the Association of retirees from education and other public services of Quebec (AREQ/CSQ) and the Quebec Association of retirees from public and parapublic sectors (AQRP).
“Our exclusion to the current extent demonstrates a great inconsistency in government support policies,” denounced the president of the AREQ/CSQ, Micheline Germain. “Offering financial assistance only to current workers creates a disparity between generations. »
“Unlike employees who have often benefited from increased income and one-off measures, seniors with their fixed income are bearing the brunt of the rising cost of living,” argued the president of the AQRP of Outaouais, Diane Dupéré.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced two measures last week to help people cope with the rising cost of living. First, he wants to grant a two-month holiday from December 14 from the goods and services tax (GST) on a host of useful products as the holiday season approaches. Then, in the spring, the government will pay an amount of $250 to people who worked in 2023 and whose net salary is less than $150,000, which excludes retirees.
The Bloc Québécois proposes that this threshold of $150,000 be lowered so that retirees can be entitled to it. “If seniors are included, we will be able to vote for it,” said MP Andréanne Larouche.
The New Democratic Party (NDP) also calls for the addition of retirees as well as people with disabilities and people who were unable to work in 2023, otherwise it will not support the bill. Its leader Jagmeet Singh suggested on Tuesday splitting the bill in two to quickly adopt the GST holiday and subsequently broaden the segments of the population who will be entitled to the $250 check.
The anger of retirees was heard in the constituency offices of Liberal MPs. “I hear from seniors, I also hear from people who have mobility problems, people with disabilities,” admitted Ottawa South MP David McGuinty upon his arrival at the caucus meeting.
“For me, everything is negotiable,” he added.
“I have several questions about this measure,” said Pontiac MP Sophie Chatel.
The MP for Thunder Bay—Rainy River in Ontario, Marcus Powlowski, believes that the government should extend it to retirees “if its finances allow it”.
“These are important and legitimate questions,” acknowledged the Minister of Public Services and Procurement, Jean-Yves Duclos, also Justin Trudeau’s political lieutenant in Quebec. “The opposition parties must be consulted or give their consent because otherwise we cannot help Quebecers and other Canadians in terms of affordability. »
The leader of the government in the House, Karina Gould, avoided commenting on the government’s intentions and the negotiations with the opposition parties, inviting all MPs to support the Liberal bill which has still not been tabled in the House of Commons.
