C-31 (45-1) - Budget 2025 Implementation Act, No. 2

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Source: Parliament of Canada (LEGISinfo)
Date: 2026-10-30 12:26:14.0
Tags: [National, Finance, Taxation, Economy, Governance]

Bill C-31 (45th Parliament, 1st Session), titled the Budget 2025 Implementation Act, No. 2 and sponsored by Minister of Finance and National Revenue, has advanced to the report stage in the House of Commons following committee review by the Standing Committee on Finance, which presented its report with amendments on October 30, 2026. The legislation implements provisions stemming from the federal budget tabled on November 4, 2025, and the 2026 Spring Economic Update titled 'Canada Strong For All'. The Senate has concurrently authorized pre-study of the bill's subject matter across multiple standing committees, including the Standing Senate Committee on National Finance and specialized sectoral committees assigned to specific divisions of Part 4 of the bill.

N.W.T. finance minister says no emergency relief from fuel price shock, but pushes Ottawa for support

Source: Territories - Northern Affairs (Yukon, NWT, Nunavut)
Date: 2026-10-21 10:00:00.0
Tags: [National, Finance, Energy, Taxation, Affordability]

Northwest Territories Finance Minister Caroline Wawzonek rejected calls from MLAs to slash the territorial gas and diesel tax—which generates an estimated $15 million annually—or provide immediate emergency heating fuel subsidies ahead of winter. Testifying before the federal standing committee on Indigenous and Northern Affairs, Wawzonek criticized federal funding programs like the $2-billion heat pump initiative as unsuitable for northern climates and pressed Ottawa for customized support to address energy and affordability challenges where transport and heating costs are double the national average. She noted the territorial government already provides over $18 million in direct annual energy subsidies and warned that low water levels threatening the hydro system will force the territory to rely more heavily on costly diesel generation.

S-217 (45-1) - Fairness for All Canadian Taxpayers Act (measuring the tax gap to fight international tax evasion)

Source: Parliament of Canada (LEGISinfo)
Date: 2026-10-20 18:20:18.0
Tags: [National, Taxation, Finance, Governance]

Bill S-217, titled the Fairness for All Canadian Taxpayers Act (measuring the tax gap to fight international tax evasion), is a Senate Public Bill introduced by Senator Percy E. Downe to amend the Canada Revenue Agency Act regarding reporting on unpaid income tax. After completing its stages in the Senate, the bill crossed over to the House of Commons where it achieved second reading and was referred to the Standing Committee on Finance (FINA) on October 20, 2026. The legislation builds upon similar previously introduced bills, such as S-258 from the 44th Parliament and S-243 from the 42nd Parliament, aimed at improving fiscal transparency around Canada's tax gap.

He followed a debunked conspiracy theory to claim a tax refund. So why did the CRA agree to a $40M payout?

Source: CBC Politics
Date: 2026-10-16 08:00:00.0
Tags: [National, Ontario, British Columbia, Taxation, Finance, Public Safety]

An investigative report by CBC's the fifth estate revealed that individuals following "sovereign citizen" conspiracy theories have successfully defrauded the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) of millions of dollars in bogus tax refunds due to severe gaps in fraud detection systems. In the summer of 2023, ironworker Jonathon Pearce of Temiskaming Shores, Ontario, filed false tax returns claiming more than $40 million, resulting in the CRA depositing over $10 million into his personal bank account despite internal red flags and a pre-refund phone call where he outlined his anti-tax beliefs. Leaked internal records show nearly $300 million in bogus claims linked to the same tax scheme were identified between May 2023 and January 2024, prompting the CRA to launch criminal investigations and execute search warrants against promoters such as Bernard Yankson and Angela Albright Bowolin in British Columbia.

Provinces call on Ottawa to expand mining credit

Source: Global News Politics
Date: 2026-10-10 12:17:12.0
Tags: [National, British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, Taxation, Economy, Resources, Mining, Finance]

Nearly half of Canada's provinces and territories—specifically Nova Scotia, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia, and Yukon—are urging the federal Liberal government to fulfill its 2025 election promise to expand the mineral exploration tax credit to include engineering and feasibility study costs. The Association for Mineral Exploration and the Nunavut and N.W.T. Chamber of Mines argue this measure is crucial to help junior mining companies navigate the late-stage 'valley of death' financing gap. An Ernst & Young report commissioned by the association indicates that covering feasibility and economic viability studies could generate between 14,000 and 34,000 jobs and add $5.2 billion to $12.2 billion in GDP over 10 years. While Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne's office highlighted recent federal initiatives such as the Productivity Mega Deduction and the Critical Mineral Exploration Tax Credit, federal expenses under the Canadian exploration expenses framework still exclude economic assessments and feasibility studies.

Only 150 first-time homebuyer GST rebates approved as of June

Source: CBC Politics
Date: 2026-09-24 21:28:16.0
Tags: [National, Housing, Taxation, Finance, Affordability]

Federal data reveals that as of June, only 150 first-time homebuyer GST rebate applications out of 7,500 received have been approved by the federal government under its program eliminating the GST on newly built or substantially renovated homes worth up to $1 million. The data indicates that 620 applications were denied, 6,700 remain pending with an average processing time of 50 days, and a total of $3,577,000 has been paid out at an average of about $24,000 per rebate. Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne acknowledged the slow rollout, while Department of Finance officials attributed the initial delays to uncertainty surrounding the passage of Bill C-4, which received royal assent in March 2026.

C-38 (45-1) - Canadian Fuel Affordability Act

Source: Parliament of Canada (LEGISinfo)
Date: 2026-09-21 15:16:00.0
Tags: [National, Taxation, Finance, Affordability]

Bill C-38, titled the Canadian Fuel Affordability Act, was introduced and read for the first time in the House of Commons on September 21, 2026. Sponsored by the Minister of Finance and National Revenue, the bill proposes to amend the Excise Tax Act to extend the federal fuel excise tax relief. The legislation is currently at the second reading stage in the House of Commons during the 1st session of the 45th Parliament.

CRA still owed over $5B in COVID-19 benefits sent to ineligible recipients

Source: CBC Politics
Date: 2026-09-18 19:50:00.0
Tags: [National, Taxation, Finance, Economy, Social Services]

The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) reported that as of July 31, Canadians still owe $5.56 billion in outstanding debt for COVID-19 pandemic benefits—specifically under the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) and Canada Recovery Benefit (CRB)—after being deemed ineligible. The total debt has nearly halved from over $10 billion reported the previous November, with approximately $3.671 billion successfully recovered since collections began in 2022. The remaining balance includes $2.91 billion for CERB and $1.81 billion for CRB, though figures continue to fluctuate due to ongoing repayments, reassessed eligibility, and write-offs for permanent financial hardship recommended to Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC). The CRA maintains a flexible collection approach with extended timelines and interest-free repayment arrangements, while retaining the right to pursue legal action against debtors with the verified ability to pay.

Carney government introduces mega-deduction tax measure to spur more investment

Source: CBC Politics
Date: 2026-09-15 19:41:51.0
Tags: [National, Taxation, Economy, Finance, Industry, Trade]

Prime Minister Mark Carney's federal government announced the productivity mega-deduction tax measure at the Canada Investment Summit, expanding on last year's productivity super-deduction to cover two-thirds of assets. The program allows companies to expense the total cost of new investments across sectors including machinery, equipment, clean energy, and zero-emission vehicles immediately rather than over a project's lifetime. The policy change is projected to cost $36 billion over five years and is estimated to slash Canada's marginal effective tax rate from 13 per cent down to 6.4 per cent, making it the lowest in the G7 to improve tax competitiveness and retain investment during trade tensions.

'Cool to be Canadian': Leaders optimistic their pitch to invest here will pay off

Source: CBC Politics
Date: 2026-09-14 19:59:47.0
Tags: [National, Ontario, Economy, Taxation, Finance, Trade, Industry, Mining]

Prime Minister Mark Carney hosted the Canada Investment Summit in Toronto to attract foreign capital and secure $1 trillion in investments amidst trade friction with the United States. Minister of Finance François-Philippe Champagne announced that the Canadian Revenue Agency will prioritize advanced income tax rulings for investments exceeding $1 billion to reduce regulatory risk. The government's 66-page pitchbook featured more than 160 major projects, including Canada Nickel Company's Crawford nickel project, which is seeking $2 billion in funding.

Liberals will extend gas and diesel tax holiday into 2027, sources say

Source: CBC Politics
Date: 2026-09-02 13:09:12.0
Tags: [National, Taxation, Affordability, Economy, Finance]

Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne announced an extension of the federal excise tax holiday on gasoline and diesel until early 2027. Originally introduced in April by Prime Minister Mark Carney as a temporary measure costing an estimated $2.4 billion to mitigate short-term oil price pressures from the U.S. conflict with Iran, the policy cuts the 10-cent federal excise tax per litre of gas and 4 cents per litre of diesel. The extension comes amid ongoing demands from provincial leaders like Ontario Premier Doug Ford and federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre for further tax relief.