Bloc Québécois prepared to bring down government before Oct. 29 if pension bill fails to pass

OTTAWA — The Bloc Québécois said it is prepared to call for an election earlier if Liberals vote against increasing old age pension payments for all seniors.

On Tuesday, Bloc Leader Yves-François Blanchet used an opposition day motion to ask the government to grant a “royal recommendation” for his party’s bill, which would increase the Old Age Security (OAS) for seniors between the ages of 65 and 74 and cost about $16 billion over five years.

Because the bill involves public funds, a minister must provide a royal recommendation before it is read a third time in the House of Commons and passed. If that is not the case, the Speaker must stop the proceedings and rule the bill out of order.

Blanchet has given the government until Oct. 29 to support his party’s bill, or he will begin talks with other opposition parties to bring down the minority Liberal government.

“The end goal will be clear: to bring down a government that said itself that it does not want to be helpful to millions of Canadians and Quebecers,” he said during his speech.

Blanchet said his party is already ready if an election is triggered immediately.

“It’s not our preference in the short term … But everyone understands very well that unless the government acts quickly and shows openness to our ideas, it will be an opportunity for us to go to an election October 29 — or before that,” he said.

During the vote in second reading last year, the Conservatives and the NDP supported the Bloc’s pension bill, but the Liberals voted it down. Now that the Bloc has issued its ultimatum, the Liberals have not clearly stated if they have changed their minds.

“The conversation has to happen, and it will happen soon, obviously,” said Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault on his way to a cabinet meeting Tuesday morning.

“But we have to look at the intergenerational impacts of something like that. It’s a lot of money. It’s about $16 billion, it’s not insignificant. So, we have to consider this very carefully,” added Guilbeault.

At $80 billion, benefits for seniors already represent the biggest line in the government’s last budget and are expected to increase to $100 billion by 2028-29.

Health Minister Mark Holland said his minority government will work with other parties, and at the same time be “responsible with the public purse and make sure the decisions we make are focused on those with the greatest needs.”

“My instinct is that Canadians want this Parliament to continue to function,” he said. “They’re not interested in us finding divisions, they’re interested in us finding common ground and that’s what we’re trying to do.”

The vote on the Bloc’s motion is set to happen on Wednesday.

Blanchet argued in the House that seniors have been impacted by high inflation and interest rates after the pandemic, and that their purchasing power has been weakened as a result. He also lambasted the government for creating two classes of seniors.

The Liberals had increased the OAS by 10 per cent for seniors 75 and over, but the Bloc has long been advocating that it is unfair for people aged 65 to 74.

Blanchet said increasing the OAS for that age range would help an additional four million Canadians, including one million Quebecers.

“If you want to be cold and cynical, let’s look at it through the lens of an election,” he said. “How about saying ‘no’ to a million Quebecers, just for fun?”

Public Services Minister Jean-Yves Duclos said in a press conference the Bloc’s bill is well- intentioned but will end up helping seniors who don’t need it.

“Mr. Blanchet would need to explain why he and myself eventually, would deserve and need more support with our pension than a single senior with less than $30,000 in pension income,” he said.

Duclos argued the Liberals have already given significant help to seniors, reversing the Harper government’s proposal to increase the age for Old Age Security benefits, providing dental care and other benefits that seniors are using.

Duclos said Blanchet’s threat to bring down the government if his demands are not met is short-sighted.

“I personally believe that Mr. Blanchet should focus less on threats and more on how to help vulnerable seniors in Canada, including in Quebec.”

New Democrats noted that seniors already benefit or will be benefiting from social programs agreed to during their supply-and-confidence agreement like free dental care and universal public drug coverage should the pharmacare bill come to pass.

As for the Greens, they said that the federal government is already doing more for seniors than young people and suggested that another way of supporting seniors would be to boost the Guaranteed Income Supplement for low-income seniors.

The Conservatives, meanwhile, took another shot at bringing down the government Tuesday afternoon on their second non-confidence motion of the fall session, but it was defeated by 207-121 votes.

— With files from Ryan Tumilty.

National Post [email protected]

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