Canada’s opposition presses Trudeau gov’t to address rising cost of living

As Canadians struggle to afford groceries and filling up the tank, the federal opposition parties are putting more pressure on the Trudeau government to take action.

“People can’t afford to wait,” NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said Tuesday, noting inflation is through the roof.

With a recent report finding a quarter of Canadians are eating less due to the rising cost of living, Singh says it is time the government target corporations with record profits by increasing taxes and redistributing that to people who need it.

“The solution has to be redistributing wealth to people who need it most.”

According to Food Banks Canada, about 7 million Canadians reported going hungry at least once between March 2020 and March of this year. The rising cost of living across the country is only making the situation more dire.

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The research finds almost a quarter of people admit they are eating less “than they think they should” because they simply cannot afford it.

As inflation makes affordability more of a challenge for many Canadians, the Conservatives have put forward a motion calling on the federal government to suspend the GST on fuel, the carbon tax, scrap COVID-19 restrictions, and launch an inquiry into money laundering in housing.

“They will give Canadians a break and get their lives back to normal. We do not think that that is too much to ask for,” said Interim Leader Candice Bergen, who claims the country is suffering because of the federal refusal to act.

This is the Conservative Opposition motion that will be debated in the House today.
Calls for tax relief to deal with cost of living, calls for end of all federal COVID restrictions, and for an inquiry into money laundering #cdnpoli pic.twitter.com/AXzN9v4TkX

— Cormac Mac Sweeney (@cmaconthehill) June 7, 2022

“What he is doing is causing irreparable harm to Canadians,” she added. “Other countries were providing tax reliefs, some provinces were doing it too.”

The Trudeau government says inflation is a global supply issue, and that it’s taking action here with things like $10 a day child care.

Inflation in Canada hit 6.8 per cent in April.

Innovation Minister Francois Phillipe Champagne notes Canada’s inflation is far less than some allies, saying the war in Ukraine is largely driving prices of things like oil up across the world.

-With files from Sonia Aslam and Hana Mae Nassar