REGINA — Many Saskatchewan residents, and Canadians, are getting a dose of relief Friday with money coming from the federal government.
The Canada Revenue Agency has begun issuing payments under the new Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit, which is replacing GST/HST tax credit payments. It means more money will be going to moderate- to lower-income Canadians who received the former benefit.
“Today's a great day for people who are struggling with affordability,” said Tim Hodgson, minister of energy and resources, in an interview with SaskToday.
He said 343,000 people in Saskatchewan will be getting cheques deposited into their bank accounts as of today under the new benefit.
“If you are a single person of modest income, you'll be getting a cheque today for $267. If you're a couple with two kids, you'll get $533. And these will be quarterly payments to help with affordability. So as a single person in Saskatchewan, you'd be getting $950 a year. As a couple with two kids in Saskatchewan, you'd get $1,890. And this will be going out to 343,000 people in Saskatchewan of modest income needs.”
Under the Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit, there will be regular quarterly payments representing a 25 per cent increase over the former GST credit, but there is also a top-up payment happening today.
According to a Government of Canada news release, the Canada Revenue Agency is issuing the one-time top-up, which is equal to a 50 per cent increase in the annual 2025-26 value of the Goods and Services Tax Credit. As of June 5, anyone who received the GST credit in January 2026 will automatically get this payment.
While the top-up is one-time only, Hodgson said the Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit payments will be a five-year commitment. He said the government is “trying to do our part and build on the affordability measures, like the tax cuts, like the elimination of GST on first-time homes, like the $0.28 a litre reduction in fuel taxes to deal with the realities of the war in the Middle East.”
“And we're not done. We're going to keep working on ways to make life more affordable for Canadians,” Hodgson said.
As for why the federal government decided this was the right move, the minister pointed to the volatile times for the country and the globe.
“So we understand that this is a very uncertain time in the world,” Hodgson said.
“There's a lot of volatility. We've had a trade war imposed on us. We're working hard.
“We went to China. We removed trade irritants so we could get canola going again. We've been going around the world, creating new trading relationships, like the relationships we've reopened in India. And India is buying Saskatchewan uranium again, which is fantastic. We've got two new uranium mines under development. We've got a new potash mine under development. We've got the foreign copper mine under development in Saskatchewan.
“But we know there are still people who are hurting and they're having a difficult time. So we are focused on how can we make life more affordable for those Canadians who have been affected by the trade war, who have been affected by the tariffs.
“So this is part of that ongoing measure.”
Hodgson said their efforts started with the tax cut for 22 million Canadians, followed by the elimination of GST for first-time homebuyers and the $0.28-a-litre reduction in fuel taxes. He also pointed to making the national school lunch program permanent and initiatives around automatic filing for low-income people to ensure they get their benefits.
“Now we're focused on the groceries and essentials benefit. We're also focused on we've allocated $500 million to help bring new lower-cost ways of getting food to Canadians to try to reduce grocery bills. We've got initiatives to help people build new greenhouses so we can get fresh produce right here in Canada as opposed to importing it from around the world. So we're trying to have a coordinated effort to make life more affordable and at the same time start projects to create new high-paying, good-paying jobs for the people of Saskatchewan and all of Canada so their incomes can grow at the same time.”
Hodgson also pointed to efforts to keep grocery prices down, including a $500-million program to help each region of the country develop food processing and also have independent marketplaces for wholesalers to provide their products.
“We've seen where that exists in some parts of Ontario and some parts of Quebec,” Hodgson said. “Prices are more competitive, so we're trying to put funds in place so more parts of Canada can have that infrastructure.”
He also pointed to greenhouses.
“What we've seen is with the new greenhouse technologies, we don't need to import all of our fresh produce from other countries. We can make it right here with some of the technologies we have. So we've put in new incentives for farmers to build new greenhouses so we can supply our own produce here. That will make it cheaper for Canadians over time.”
As for whether these measures are something the government might want to see matched at the provincial level, Hodgson said that is “up to each individual province, and each individual province has a different fiscal reality.”
“Obviously, we have a very strong working relationship with Premier (Scott) Moe and the government in Saskatchewan. We have partnered on many things, and if they wanted to do that, we would obviously be thrilled to see that, but that's a decision for the province of Saskatchewan.”
