Like several other merchants in the country, the owner of the Gourmande boutique had already sounded the alarm a few days earlier by sending a letter to her federal MP for Sherbrooke, Élisabeth Brière, while reminding her of the consequences of this temporary change a few days away. Holidays.
“This announcement one month before Christmas is anything but good news. How can we make the government understand that this measure cannot be applied in such a short term at this time of year? Small traders, including myself, simply do not have the resources to do it,” Danièle Lalonde wrote at the time.
Friday morning, the owner had difficulty hiding her disappointment when she learned of the adoption of the law.
All items must be revised to apply the correct price at checkout. (Jean Roy/La Tribune)
“I was hoping for a step back, but it’s too late now. I have no idea how I’m going to get there. With customer service and online sales in December, I no longer have any free time, so where am I going to find the time to modify my computer system and review my entire price list? All this for two months? I don’t know. I don’t think I can do it. I called my sales software company and nothing seems easy to make these computer changes.
As some of its items can be sold with GST relief, but others cannot, Danièle Lalonde and many other small or medium business owners faced an even more complex problem on Friday.
“It’s inconceivable. In addition, in the description of the articles concerned, it is not very clear and I am still hesitant to know which articles are valid and which are not. We have to untangle all of this. On the IT side, I don’t have a technician service here, I’m alone and I have to deal with the software company when I could better serve my customers and take care of orders. I don’t have time to do that right now! It’s not just about money.”
This measure is also in addition to the strike at Canada Post.
“It’s a disaster for small business owners who are currently experiencing a very difficult holiday season,” says Danièle Lalonde, who was still waiting for a response on Friday from her MP, a member of the Liberal Party of Canada.
Sherbrooke MP Élisabeth Brière still believes that the new GST holiday law comes at the ideal time for consumers and even merchants. (Jean Roy/Archives La Tribune)
The details of the communication were, however, reported to Élisabeth Brière during an interview with The Tribune and the member for Sherbrooke admits to understanding the reaction of certain merchants.
“I understand her position very well, being alone at the store during the holidays. A few days before Christmas, however, this measure will have a significant impact.”
— Élisabeth Brière, Member of Parliament for Sherbrooke
The Liberal MP claims to have met certain merchants and restaurateurs happy with the traffic and the new measures “which will, for example, encourage people to go to restaurants at a lower cost in January and February, sometimes quieter months after the holidays.”
“It’s money in the pockets of consumers and also in those of merchants, since the consumer will be able to better afford to spend,” maintains the Liberal MP. Measures are rarely unanimous. But we have to draw the line and I am convinced that Sherbrooke entrepreneurs will give a helping hand to make the adjustments. They have always been creative and dynamic. The timing to apply the relief is well chosen due to the increase in purchases and sales in December. It would also have been difficult to adopt it earlier since the work was blocked in the House of Commons.”
