Canadian Finance Minister Chystia Freelandsaid this week that she will put forward legislation to increase capital gains taxes before Parliament stops sitting for the summer, and she urged Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre to take a stand on the issue, which he has so far declined to do.
Liberals hope the measure — which will hit a small number of high-income taxpayers by increasing their tax when they sell a business or vacation property — will be a useful wedge for portraying Conservatives as sticking up for the well-off at the expense of those struggling economically. Freeland separated the item from the main budget implementation bill to force MPs from all parties to carry out a standalone vote on the measure, which will pin down Poilievre.
But it’s unclear whether the gambit will give the Liberals the boost they seek. Polling shows more people oppose the move than support it, and Poilievre is so far ahead in the polls – with a 20-point lead – that he’s under no pressure to respond.