February 5, 2019
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Ottawa, ON – The Honourable Andrew Scheer, Leader of Canada’s Conservatives and the Official Opposition, issued a statement on Justin Trudeau’s assertion earlier today that low-income Canadians don’t pay taxes:

“For the last several days, Conservatives have made a convincing argument that Justin Trudeau will raise taxes if he’s re-elected in October.

“Today, he made that point even more clear.

“In Question Period, in response to a Conservative question about why he cancelled tax credits for families, he said ‘low-income families don’t benefit from tax breaks because they don’t pay taxes’

“Not only is this factually wrong – anybody who earns more than $11,809 a year, well below the poverty line, is eligible to pay income taxes, gas taxes, payroll tax and GST – it shows just how little he understands about Canadians and their day-to-day lives.

“Thousands and thousands of low-income Canadians do pay their taxes and barely make ends meet as it is. They would benefit from tax breaks and did benefit from the Conservative tax credits the Liberals cancelled. And they’re the ones who can least afford four more years of Justin Trudeau.

“If he truly believes low-income, working class Canadians don’t pay taxes, or don’t pay enough taxes, it’s only a matter of time before he comes after them for more.

“As we get closer to the next election, the choice before Canadians is becoming clear. Conservatives want to give low-income Canadians a break. Justin Trudeau believes they don’t even pay taxes.”