Ottawa: After strong support from all parties, the federal government’s grocery rebate bill and the urgent health care funding bill to provinces and territories were passed. The bill was passed in all phases of the House of Commons on Wednesday.
Introduced in March, this bill was passed under the Cost of Living Relief Act No. No stone was left unturned by the MPs to pass it at the earliest. This means that now this bill will soon become a law.
Meanwhile, under Bill C-46, the Federal Provincial Fiscal Arrangements Act was amended to provide funds to provinces and territories to bring their health care systems back on track. Under this, $2 billion will be provided to provinces and territories through Canada Health Transfer (CHT).
Under this, 11 million low- and middle-income Canadians will be given $2.5 billion as grocery rebates. It will not be a condition to spend them on grocery stores.
It is being treated as a GST rebate and will be provided through the GST tax credit system. Once the bill is passed, eligible couples with two children will receive up to $467, while eligible seniors will get $225 and eligible single persons will get $234.
Reacting to the speedy passage of the bill, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland described it as “very good news”. He said that now the bill will go to the C-46 Senate and hopefully it will be passed quickly there as well.