Government should bailout people, not corporate tax avoiders

VICTORIA –Today, NDP MP Laurel Collins asked the Prime Minister he allows companies who use tax havens to keep getting help from his government, while so many Canadians are left out of programs that they desperately need to weather the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This government intentionally designed programs that restrict vulnerable people from getting the help they need. But the rules are different for large corporations and billionaires,” said Collins. “The government continues to allow companies to cheat the public by using offshore tax havens. And then, to make matters worse, the Prime Minister allows these same companies to receive publicly funded government bailouts.”

Collins told the Prime Minster about a Victoria woman she had spoken to who had just gotten back on her feet. She found a job and a place to live last year despite the ongoing housing crisis in her community and past struggles with homelessness. Collins pointed out that, because this woman didn’t make $5,000 last year, she doesn’t qualify for CERB and is now afraid she’ll be homeless again.

“Many people still don’t qualify and are struggling to make ends meet – the government needs to make the benefit universal or scrap the eligibility requirements so that we take care of all Canadians,” added Collins. “They’re very flexible when it comes to helping out large corporations who aren’t paying their share of taxes. I’d like to see them help more Canadians instead.”

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For more information, please contact: 

Nadia Hamdon, Member’s Assistant to MP Collins : 250-532-2482 or Nadia.hamdon.841@parl.gc.ca or

NDP Media Centre: 613-222-2351 or media@ndp.ca