HALIFAX, Nova Scotia (AP) — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau 's government announced plans Thursday to temporarily lift the federal sales tax off a number of items and send checks to millions of Canadians who are dealing with rising costs and as a federal election looms.
The measures come as a cost of living crisis has left voters unhappy with Trudeau and ahead of an election that could come anytime between this fall and next October.
“Our government can’t set prices at the checkout, but we can put more money in people’s pockets,” Trudeau said at a news conference in Toronto.
Under the plan, Canadians who worked in 2023 and earned up to 150,000 Canadian dollars (US$ 107,440) will receive a check for 250 Canadian dollars. Trudeau noted that even those earning at the high end of that amount have been struggling to get by.
An estimated 18.7 million Canadians will receive the one-time check.
The federal goods and services tax break would begin Dec. 14 and end Feb. 15.
The government said the tax break will apply to a number of items including children’s clothing and shoes, toys, diapers, restaurant meals, beer and wine. It also applies to Christmas trees, a variety of snack foods and beverages and video game consoles.
Opposition Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre called the announcement a “two month temporary tax trick” that won’t make up for carbon taxes that are set to go up.
Trudeau has said he will lead his Liberal Party into the next election, which could come anytime up to next October. No Canadian prime minister in more than a century has won four straight terms.
Trudeau channeled the star power of his father in 2015 when he reasserted the country’s liberal identity in 2015 after almost 10 years of Conservative rule. But the son of late Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau is now in trouble. Canadians have been frustrated by the cost of living coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Liberals trail the opposition Conservatives 39% to 26% in the latest Nanos poll. The poll of 1,047 respondents has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.
“Politically, it’s probably too little too late and it feels like a desperate move on the part of an unpopular government,” said Daniel Béland, a political science professor at McGill University in Montreal. “It’s also bad public policy, at least from a fiscal standpoint.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visits Vince's Market, a grocery store in Sharon, Ontario, on Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024. (Chris Young/The Canadian Press via AP)
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visits Vince's Market, a grocery store in Sharon, Ontario, on Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024. (Chris Young/The Canadian Press via AP)
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau attends an announcement regarding a two month suspension of GST on selected goods, at Vince's Market, a grocery store in Sharon, Ontario, on Thursday Nov. 21, 2024. (Chris Young/The Canadian Press via AP)
WASHINGTON (AP) — Miles Wood scored the tiebreaking goal early in the third period and the Colorado Avalanche beat the Washington Capitals 2-1 on Thursday night.
Mikko Rantanen also scored for the Avalanche, who have won five of their last six games. Alexandar Georgiev stopped 29 shots to get his fourth straight win in his return after missing the last two games due to an upper-body injury.
Pierre-Luc Dubois scored for the Capitals, who snapped a three-game win streak. Logan Thompson had 25 saves while taking his first regulation loss of the season.
Earlier in the day, the Capitals learned they will be without superstar Alex Ovechkin for the next four to six weeks due to a broken left fibula, an injury he suffered on Monday against Utah.
Avalanche: Although Nathan MacKinnon was held off the scoresheet for the second time in three games — both against the Capitals — Rantanen kept his hot streak alive and has points in five of his last six games.
Capitals: Without Ovechkin, Washington struggled to get much going offensively. The power play, which had found life in recent games thanks to its captain, went 0 for 2.
Just 3:29 into the third period, Wood got to the front of the net and deflected a point shot from Cale Makar past Thompson for the go-ahead goal.
Dating back to the 2021-22 season, Washington has gone 4-14 without Ovechkin in the lineup. The captain was leading the league with 15 goals at the time of his injury and is just 27 away from Wayne Gretzky's record.
Avalanche visit defending Stanley Cup champion Florida on Saturday, and Capitals host New Jersey.
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Washington Capitals defenseman Martin Fehervary (42) and left wing Pierre-Luc Dubois (80) and Colorado Avalanche left wing Artturi Lehkonen (62) battle for the puck during the second period of an NHL hockey game, Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar (8) skates with the puck against Washington Capitals center Lars Eller (20) and center Hendrix Lapierre (29) during the second period of an NHL hockey game, Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Washington Capitals right wing Tom Wilson (43) and Colorado Avalanche center Casey Mittelstadt (37) chase the puck during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Washington Capitals center Lars Eller (20) battles on the puck against Colorado Avalanche goalie Alexandar Georgiev (40) during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Washington Capitals left wing Pierre-Luc Dubois (80) celebrates after his goal with defenseman Matt Roy, right, during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Colorado Avalanche, Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Washington Capitals left wing Pierre-Luc Dubois (80) skates with the puck past Colorado Avalanche right wing Mikko Rantanen (96) during the second period of an NHL hockey game, Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Colorado Avalanche left wing Artturi Lehkonen (62) and left wing Jonathan Drouin, center, try to get the puck past Washington Capitals goaltender Logan Thompson,left, during the second period of an NHL hockey game, Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon (29) looks on during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Washington Capitals, Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Colorado Avalanche goalie Alexandar Georgiev (40) deflects the puck against Washington Capitals right wing Tom Wilson (43) during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Colorado Avalanche right wing Mikko Rantanen (96) celebrates his goal with left wing Jonathan Drouin (27) during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Washington Capitals, Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
