Bloc Québécois wants GST grocery credit doubled ahead of Thursday's federal budget

The Bloc Québécois is pressing Ottawa to double the GST grocery tax credit, which would put up to $300 per household within reach, ahead of Thursday's federal budget. For a household that already counts every grocery bill, that is the difference the party is asking the minister to find before the budget is tabled.

Jean-Denis Garon, the party's finance spokesperson, said Tuesday that the demands are realistic and that the minister can act on them. He said the assistance should be targeted and directed toward those who need it most, and that it would meet the criteria for the GST refund.

To help pay for the measures, Garon called for an end to subsidies for oil companies. "If there's one sector in Canada that doesn't need government assistance, it's the oil sector," he said.

The Bloc is also pressing a broader package: a pension increase for seniors aged 65 to 74, renewed rent assistance and the Rent Protection Fund, and unconditional transfers to Quebec of community housing and Build Canada Homes funds, which the party calls ineffective.

The Liberals hold a majority and do not need Bloc or opposition support to pass the budget, though they have said they are open to improving policies based on other parties' suggestions. The budget is tabled Thursday, and the grocery credit is the demand to watch when it is.