Carbon tax coming Saturday, Nova Scotia party leaders critical
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However, Nova Scotia party leaders are not having it. NDP Leader Claudia Chender is criticizing Premier Tim Houston saying he has not done enough to protect Nova Scotian’s from the looming tax by not working on the basics.
“There are many things Tim Houston could do as premier to help Nova Scotians with rising prices, including freezing senior and family pharmacare fees, cutting the tax on groceries, and permanently increasing and indexing the thresholds for home heating programs like HARP,” said NDP Leader Claudia Chender. “The Houston government has been in power for two years, and throughout that time we knew a carbon tax was coming. The Conservatives failed to step in and come up with a deal the federal Liberals could approve. There will be a dramatic increase in the cost of fuel this weekend, on the heels of historic cost increases on everything from food, to housing, to power, all because of Houston’s failure of leadership.”
Chender said other provinces will get rebates that are more in line with their cost of living, while Premier Houston did not fight for a higher rebate, and could take any or all of the following steps:
Freeze pharmacare fees;
Cut the tax on food to help lower grocery bills;
Permanently increase and index the thresholds for home heating programs like HARP;
Create a universal school food program to ensure all students have access to healthy food at school;
Raise the threshold for paying back provincial student loans to $40,000;
Immediately raise the minimum wage to $15/hour and create a plan to reach a living wage;
Raise social assistance rates and index to inflation; and
Make rent control permanent and close the fixed-term lease loophole.”