LAW

45th Parliament · Session 1

Bill C-4: An Act respecting certain affordability measures for Canadians and another measure

Making Life More Affordable for Canadians Act

Introduced

June 5, 2025

Current Stage

RoyalAssentGiven

Last Updated

March 12, 2026

Sponsor

François-Philippe Champagne

Community Support

Community Vote

67% Support

3 votes

Politicians' Vote

98% Support

341 MPs

Support

Undecided/Abstain

Oppose

Cast Your Vote

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Engagement

Votes

3

Comments

0

Follows

1

Parliamentary Votes

1

Statements

198

Bill C-4

Thu Mar 12 2026

An Act respecting certain affordability measures for Canadians and another measure

Impact Rating

5/5

Short Summary

This bill cuts the lowest income tax bracket, offers a new $50,000 GST rebate for first-time home buyers, and repeals the federal carbon tax.

Carbon Tax Repeal
First-Time Home Buyer Rebate
Income Tax Rate Reduction
Affordability
Housing

This is a major omnibus bill that makes four significant and unrelated changes to federal law to address affordability and political operations. First, it cuts the federal income tax rate for the lowest bracket starting in 2025. Second, it introduces a temporary federal GST rebate of up to $50,000 for first-time home buyers of new construction. Third, and most notably, it eliminates the federal fuel charge, commonly known as the carbon tax, in all provinces where it currently applies. Finally, it creates a new federal law that exempts registered political parties from having to follow provincial privacy laws, such as those that give citizens the right to access or correct their personal data held by the party.

Why does this bill exist?

Origin (Platform Promise)

This bill combines a key platform promise (tax cuts and housing measures) with a major policy reversal (eliminating the carbon tax) in response to public pressure over the cost of living.

  • The federal income tax rate on the lowest tax bracket (income up to $57,375) will be reduced from 15% to 14.5% in 2025, and then further to 14% in 2026 and later years.

  • The federal fuel charge (Part 1 of the Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act), also known as the federal carbon tax, is eliminated in all provinces where it is currently imposed, effective April 1, 2025.

  • A new, temporary, additional GST new housing rebate is created for first-time home buyers of new homes (single-unit, condo, or co-op housing).

  • The new housing rebate can be up to $50,000 on homes priced up to $1 million, and is phased out completely for homes priced at $1.5 million or more.

  • To qualify for the new housing rebate, the purchase agreement must be entered into after March 19, 2025, and before 2031, and the buyer must be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident who has not owned a primary residence in the four preceding calendar years.

  • The bill establishes a national, uniform, and exclusive federal privacy regime for political parties, meaning they are not required to comply with provincial or territorial privacy laws.

  • Political parties must now have a public, plain-language privacy policy, designate a privacy officer, and explain their data collection methods (like using cookies).

  • Under the new political party privacy rules, parties cannot be required to allow citizens to access, correct, or receive requests to correct their personal information.

Everyday Citizens

(Cheaper)

Will pay less for gasoline and natural gas because the federal carbon tax is eliminated, and will see a small reduction in federal income tax starting in 2025.

First-Time Home Buyers

(Cheaper)

If buying a newly built home, they can receive up to $50,000 back from the federal government through a new GST rebate, significantly reducing their purchase cost.

Political Parties

(Rights Expanded)

Are legally shielded from having to comply with provincial privacy laws (like Quebec's Law 25) and cannot be compelled to let citizens access or correct their personal data.

Provincial Impact

Provincial Impact

High (Requires Provincial Action/Funding) Interaction

The bill removes the federal carbon tax from provinces currently under the federal backstop. It also explicitly overrides provincial and territorial privacy laws for political parties, meaning provincial governments can no longer regulate how these parties handle citizen data.

Benefits & Pros

Lower fuel costs and heating costs for all Canadians due to the elimination of the federal carbon tax on fuels.

Every taxpayer will see a reduction in their federal income tax bill starting in 2025, providing immediate relief.

First-time home buyers of new homes could save up to $50,000, which can significantly help with a down payment or closing costs.

The new housing rebate is targeted at new construction, which helps incentivize the building of more homes.

Beneficiaries

Everyday Canadian consumers and drivers
Low-to-middle income tax filers
First-time home buyers of new homes
Home builders and developers

Risks & Cons

The elimination of the federal carbon tax removes a key policy tool designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and meet climate targets.

The new housing rebate could increase demand for new homes, potentially driving up construction costs and land prices.

The new privacy rules for political parties exempt them from fundamental rights like a citizen's ability to access or correct their own personal data.

The GST rebate is temporary, applying only to purchase agreements made before 2031.

Affected Groups

Environmental advocacy groups
Provincial privacy regulators
Federal government revenue (loss of tax and charge income)

Before & After

Currently, a family heating their home with natural gas in a federal carbon tax province pays the carbon charge on their monthly bill. Under this bill, the federal carbon charge would be eliminated, and that charge would no longer appear on their bill, making their utility costs lower.

Real World Scenario

Currently: A young couple buying their first new-build condo for $700,000 pays GST/HST on that price and receives the standard new housing rebate. Under this Bill: They would receive the standard rebate PLUS a new, additional first-time home buyer rebate of $50,000, which they can claim back from the government.

Frequently Asked Questions

Votes on this bill

Vote 8

Agreed To

2nd reading of Bill C-4, An Act respecting certain affordability measures for Canadians and another measure

Thu Jun 12 2025

Yeas: 335

Nays: 0

Total: 341

Sponsor

François-Philippe Champagne

Member of Parliament

House of Commons

First reading

Completed on June 5, 2025

Second reading

Completed on June 12, 2025

Consideration in committee

Completed on October 29, 2025

Report stage

Completed on November 19, 2025

Third reading

Completed on December 11, 2025

Senate

First reading

Completed on December 11, 2025

Second reading

Completed on February 5, 2026

Consideration in committee

Completed on February 24, 2026

Third reading

Completed on February 26, 2026

Royal Assent

Royal assent

Completed on March 12, 2026

Abuse Potential

Part 4 of this bill creates a specific, national, and exclusive regime for the personal information collected by registered political parties. The greatest risk of abuse lies in the explicit provision that parties cannot be required to provide citizens access to their personal information or correct any errors in that data. This lack of transparency and accountability means a party can hold potentially inaccurate, sensitive, or manipulated data on a voter without the voter having any legal recourse to see or fix it. Since provincial privacy laws are overridden, a future government could leverage this exclusive federal law to shield its political arm from any meaningful public scrutiny regarding how it uses voter data to target campaigns. The language is dangerously vague on enforcement mechanisms for a breach of the party's own policy.

Implementation Risk

The greatest implementation risk is administrative, requiring the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) to quickly implement the complex anti-avoidance rules and provincial variations for the new, temporary GST housing rebate, as well as updating tax software for the 2025 and 2026 tax years.

Broad Economic Impact

Direct Cost/Benefit

Everyday Life

High impact

Admin Burden

Automatic

Timeline

Immediate upon Royal Assent or soon after for the carbon tax, with income tax changes phased in starting with the 2025 tax year.