Senators aim to pass grocery rebate, health transfer Bill C-46 by May 12

CRA warns against grocery rebate scams The Canada Revenue Agency says grocery rebate scams are circulating by text and email and the fake messages should not be clicked on.

For those wondering when they may be receiving their so-called "grocery rebate" payments from the federal government, a plan has been proposed in the Senate that would see the bill implementing the benefit pass by May 12.

However, it could be several weeks after the bill passes before payments start landing in eligible Canadians' bank accounts.

Bill C-46, billed as the "Cost of Living Relief Act, No. 3," passed second reading in the Senate on Wednesday and now is on track for an expedited finance committee study with support from all groups in the upper chamber.

This bill was tabled in late March and MPs unanimously agreed to fast-track it through all stages in the House of Commons in one fell swoop on April 19. When the original GST tax credit boost was advanced in the fall, it also received all-party backing.

In addition to enacting the $2.5 billion in one-time ‘grocery rebate’ payments to eligible low-and modest-income Canadians proposed in the 2023 federal budget, Bill C-46 rolls out the $2 billion in urgent and "unconditional" health-care top-up funding to the provinces and territories that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised to inject into the Canada Health Transfer as part of his cross-country health deals.

According to the office of Sen. Marc Gold, the government's representative in the Senate, the anticipation is that Bill C-46 will be able to receive royal assent—the final legislative step before a bill becomes law—by May 12, a timeline the Conservatives have agreed to.

Gold's office said this date is "critical" to ensure the $4.5 billion in new spending can be sent to the provinces "without delay" and to allow the CRA to begin administering the rebate cheques, "as of July 1st."

"Following the passage of Bill C-46, the grocery rebate would be delivered to eligible Canadians as soon as possible by direct deposit or cheque," said Sen. Gold during debate on the legislation last week.

CTVNews.ca asked Bill C-46's sponsor, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, for clarity on when the coming 'grocery rebate' will roll out to those eligible after the bill passes.

Her office deferred the question to National Revenue Minister Diane Lebouthillier's office, who directed CTVNews.ca to the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), which is responsible for administering the payments.

The tax agency—where 35,000 workers remain on strike—was unable to clarify how long it will take after Bill C-46 becomes law for the money to end up in peoples' bank accounts, by CTVNews.ca’s deadline. The next GST tax credit payment is scheduled for July 5.

The one-time affordability measure is being offered to approximately 11 million Canadians. Not required to be spent at the grocery store, the rebate is a rebrand of the GST rebate boost that provided a payment equivalent to six months of the GST tax credit, and as such will be provided through the same system.

Once passed, eligible couples with two children will receive a payment of up to $467, while eligible seniors will receive up to $225, and eligible singles will receive up to $234.

'CALL IT WHAT IT IS': CONSERVATIVE SENATOR

After speaking to Bill C-46 in the Senate on Wednesday, Conservative Senate Leader Sen. Don Plett joined his caucus and all others in agreeing to see the bill reach the committee stage.

However, in an interview with CTVNews.ca, he said that his support was coming reluctantly due to what he sees as an increasing "heavy handedness" of the government in trying to set the upper chambers' agenda and frustration over the Liberal framing of the tax credit as a grocery-focused rebate.

In his speech to the Senate, Plett said while the provisions in Bill C-46 "are necessary," he accused the Liberals of "recycling" old ideas rather than coming up with new ways to address inflation, noting the "grocery rebate" won't come close to covering the expenses Canadians will incur this year due to the higher cost of food.

"We don't like some of [Bill] C-46. For example, when it's called a grocery rebate, and you don't need to have receipts. I mean… at least have the courage to call it what it is. Don't call it a grocery rebate for political optics, because that's the only reason they called it that," he said in the interview, while noting clearly the Conservatives are "on board with this bill passing at its earliest opportunity."

"We certainly will not do anything to delay the passage of the bill," Plett said.

The expectation now is a minister will appear before the Senate National Finance Committee to speak about Bill C-46 in the coming days, before the legislation is brought back to the whole Senate for the final debate and vote late next week.