While Ottawa can’t dictate what you see on any given cash register, the prime minister says his government can put money in our pockets.

“The past few years have been challenging,” Justin Trudeau said in a statement released on Thursday. “It feels like the price of everything has gone up. And while inflation is cooling and interest rates are dropping, we know that Canadians aren’t feeling that in their household budgets yet.”

To help Canadians “buy the things they need and save for the things they want,” the Liberal government is going to introduce legislation to facilitate delivery of a new $250 Working Canadians Rebate to 18.7 million Canadians in the spring.

“With the Working Canadians Rebate, we are putting money directly into the pockets of the middle-class – those who have worked hard to beat inflation,” said Trudeau about the rebate.

Federal Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland wrote about the rebate on X yesterday: “While inflation and interest rates are coming down, we know that Canadians aren’t feeling that yet. This spring, Canadian workers making less than $150,000/year will receive a $250 rebate. We’re making life a bit easier, so you have a little more money in your pockets.”