The Trudeau government assures that tax refunds will be paid without delay to taxpayers who file their returns electronically, despite the strike by federal civil servants.
“If you file your taxes online, your tax return will not be affected at all,” Social Development Minister Karina Gould pledged Monday during a particularly stormy question period.
The Conservative spokeswoman responsible for the Treasury Board, Stephanie Kusie, then replied, visibly skeptical, that “this minister is the one who is responsible for passport arrears in the first place”.
Canadians must file their tax returns by Sunday. Those with a balance due must pay it by Monday. According to National Revenue Minister Diane Lebouthillier, 95% of tax returns are now filed online.
Time and time again, MP Kusie, like many of her colleagues, has shouted for the government to “end this strike”.
“Unlike the Conservatives, we respect workers’ rights and we take an approach that ensures we respect the right to collective bargaining and we respect the right to strike,” Gould said.
Memories of the Harper Government
Moments earlier, Minister Lebouthillier replied to the political lieutenant for Quebec of the Conservatives, Pierre Paul-Hus, that he had “no lessons to learn” from his training concerning negotiations with unions or the provision of services to the population. .
“Canadians remember well the great darkness under Harper,” the Minister sent. We cut services, we muzzled scientists, we tried to crush the labor movement across the country. »
The Conservatives have only cut the public service, she added, mimicking the guillotine movement while deputies near her chanted “chop, chop, chop”.
As the rebukes swirled, Commons Speaker Anthony Rota repeatedly rose from his seat to plead with MPs to tone down or leave the room.
As soon as they were spoken, his words were ignored by MP Paul-Hus, who went on to say that Minister LeBouthillier is “the best example […] government incompetence.
” She’s saying nonsense. During the time of the Harper government, as she likes to say, there was no strike, the employees were working and things were going very well,” said the MP.
As the strike by federal civil servants entered its sixth day on Monday, the union representing thousands of striking public service workers tried to block access to ports to increase the pressure. Salaries and telecommuting seem to be the main sticking points.