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 …