Â鶹´«Ã½

Skip to main content

Senate passes bill to implement grocery rebate, health transfer top-up

Share

The Senate has passed legislation to implement the Liberals' promised "grocery rebate" and federal health transfer top-up.

After a condensed study, the upper chamber gave the final stamp of approval to Bill C-46 on Wednesday.

The legislation pulled out two specific elements of Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland's 2023 federal budget that the Liberals wanted to see passed in short order.

Once the bill receives royal assent, it will allow for the one-time $2.5 billion affordability-focused “grocery rebate†payment to be administered to approximately 11 million eligible recipients, something the Canada Revenue Agency says will happen in July.

It also means that the provinces and territories will soon receive their respective promised portions of a total $2 billion in "unconditional" health-care top-up funding, thanks to amendments made to the Federal-Provincial Fiscal Arrangements Act.

The bill had been before the Senate since April 19, when MPs agreed to move the legislation—billed as the “Cost of Living Relief Act, No. 3,"— through all stages of debate and study in one fell swoop.

Following the all-party lead in the House, senators agreed to an expedited timeline for its consideration of the bill. This agreement saw the Senate National Finance Committee hold one meeting to hear from Associate Minister of Finance Randy Boissonnault and a pair of Finance Canada officials, before signing off on the legislation without amendments.

Despite the push for quick passage, last week, the CRA confirmed to CTVNews.ca that it is planning on rolling out the food-inflation focused rebrand of the GST rebate for low- and modest-income Canadians in early July, in line with the pre-scheduled next quarterly GST/HST credit payments. 

IN DEPTH

Opinion

opinion

opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster

A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?

opinion

opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike

When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

Unusual flippered feet are making their way into the Saint Lawrence River this weekend. Led by underwater explorer and filmmaker Nathalie Lasselin, volunteer divers are combing the riverbed near Beauharnois in Montérégie to remove hundreds of tires that have been polluting the aquatic environment for decades.

A body has been found in the vicinity where a woman went missing on the Ottawa River near Pembroke, Ont. while kayaking Tuesday night, according to the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP).

A man is facing numerous drug trafficking charges after Dufferin OPP seized a large assortment of drugs and weapons in Orangeville earlier this week.

Local Spotlight

Cole Haas is more than just an avid fan of the F.W. Johnson Wildcats football team. He's a fixture on the sidelines, a source of encouragement, and a beloved member of the team.

Getting a photograph of a rainbow? Common. Getting a photo of a lightning strike? Rare. Getting a photo of both at the same time? Extremely rare, but it happened to a Manitoba photographer this week.

An anonymous business owner paid off the mortgage for a New Brunswick not-for-profit.

They say a dog is a man’s best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.

A growing group of brides and wedding photographers from across the province say they have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by a Barrie, Ont. wedding photographer.

Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.

The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.

It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.

Stay Connected