THE federal NDP said on Wednesday that for a second time in less than a year, millions of Canadian families are receiving hundreds of dollars – a family with two children will get up to $467 – to help them deal with high costs after significant pressure from it.

It added that while the amount that people have been paying for food, rent, and other necessities like gas and home heating fuel has remained high, federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh and the party relentlessly pushed the government to double the GST rebate to give families some financial breathing room.

“People have been working hard, and tightening their belts as the cost of living has soared over the last year. Canadians feel like they’re doing everything right, but they just can’t get ahead—it’s not right,” said Singh. “That’s why New Democrats fought so hard to get families, seniors and students a little extra support.

“[Prime Minister] Justin Trudeau thinks everything is fine and that everyone can just absorb growing costs—he doesn’t understand what it’s like to fight hard just to make ends meet each month. And [Conservative Leader] Pierre Poilievre is more interested in defending big businesses and wealthy CEOs than delivering help for your family. New Democrats are in your corner.”

The NDP said that in May 2022, it began calling on the government to double the GST rebate to help Canadian families. After months of sustained political pressure, the Liberals finally agreed to provide extra support in the fall. But the NDP wasn’t satisfied. New Democrats continued to urge the Liberal government to get more money back into people’s pockets and, in the last budget, the Liberals agreed to double the GST tax credit again, opting to rebrand the program as a “grocery rebate.”

“It doesn’t matter what the government calls it,” said Singh. “It’s hundreds of dollars back in your pocket to help you cover your weekly grocery bills, or fuel up the family car for your summer vacation. It’s help to cover the kids’ summer camp or—for some Canadians— it keeps the lights on.

“If the Liberals weren’t always protecting ultra-rich CEOs, they could do even more to help people with cost-of-living by putting in place an excess profit tax to get more money back in people’s pockets. New Democrats are going to keep fighting for stronger competition laws so you can trust that big corporate grocery stores aren’t gouging you at the cash register. In the meantime, this grocery rebate is the least the government can do for Canadians.”