Liberals vote against Bloc Quebecois’ old age security motion

Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet is upping nan ante for nan Liberals, threatening to move toward an election arsenic early arsenic adjacent week if nan authorities doesn’t backmost a scheme to summation aged property information payments.

Most Liberals voted against a Bloc mobility connected Wednesday calling for nan authorities to springiness a royal proposal to a measure that would summation pensions for seniors nether property 75 by 10 per cent. The move will costs much than $3 cardinal a year.

A backstage member’s measure that costs money requires nan government’s support.

The Bloc, NDP and Conservatives each voted for nan motion, but it carries only symbolic weight because it is non-binding.

Five Liberal MPs from Atlantic provinces besides voted successful favour of nan motion, according to nan ballot consequence connected nan Commons website: René Arseneault, Serge Cormier, Mike Kelloway, Ken McDonald and Wayne Long. The Atlantic provinces person nan highest proportionality of residents complete nan property of 65.

Blanchet initially told nan Liberals they had until Oct. 29 to support nan bill, aliases he would statesman talks pinch different parties to topple nan government. After nan ballot Wednesday he said he doesn’t deliberation nan Liberals will alteration people earlier nan extremity of nan month.

“So they person until a fewer days from now to spell connected pinch nan royal recommendation, and if they do not, we will commencement arsenic quickly arsenic adjacent week to speak pinch different guidance (parties) to spell into an election,” he said.

As Liberal MPs stood successful nan House to ballot against nan motion, MPs connected nan Conservative and NDP benches booed them.

Liberal House leader Karina Gould said earlier successful nan time that nan move was “not due for an guidance time motion.”

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said his statement would ballot pinch nan Bloc because it has “long supported nan thought of expanding pensions for seniors.”

The Liberals accrued nan pension by 10 per cent for seniors complete 75 successful 2022 and nan different guidance parties person backed nan Bloc push to grow that to seniors younger than that arsenic well.

Gould said nan authorities sets budgetary policies and wants to guarantee it tin proceed to support seniors.

Health Minister Mark Holland said Wednesday greeting that supporting nan Bloc mobility would group a “terrible precedent” connected really to usage backstage member’s bills.

“I don’t deliberation Canadians would want $16 cardinal backstage member’s bills conscionable coming successful pinch nary contextualization,” he said.

“I would deliberation nan Bloc would understand that arsenic well.”

The efforts to topple nan authorities started arsenic soon arsenic nan autumn sitting began successful mid-September.

Trending Now

The Conservatives person already utilized 2 of their guidance days to present non-confidence motions successful nan House successful nan past 2 weeks. The Liberals survived some pinch nan votes of nan Bloc and nan NDP.

All 3 guidance parties would apt person to squad up to walk a non-confidence mobility but if 1 were to walk it would bring down nan number authorities and would apt trigger an contiguous election.

The Bloc will not get different guidance time this sitting, and won’t get a chance to present a non-confidence mobility of their own. The NDP will get one, and nan Conservatives will get different 3 earlier nan House of Commons breaks for Christmas successful mid-December.

The number of guidance days allotted successful each sitting is decided astatine nan opening of a convention but nan authorities decides erstwhile they are scheduled.

Singh wouldn’t opportunity whether his statement plans to bring successful a non-confidence mobility this sitting, nor whether it would support nan Bloc successful an effort to bring down nan government, saying Wednesday that nan NDP will return each ballot connected a case-by-case basis.

There is different assurance ballot connected nan horizon, connected a authorities ways and intends mobility to instrumentality changes to nan superior gains taxation system, which are supported by nan NDP and nan Bloc but not nan Conservatives. That ballot was to return spot Wednesday but has been delayed by immoderate matters of privilege successful nan House of Commons.

Debate connected matters of privilege person nary circumstantial timeline truthful it was not clear precocious Wednesday erstwhile nan ways and intends ballot would beryllium rescheduled.

The parliamentary dysfunction that has go characteristic of this autumn sitting was mostly still coming Wednesday, and House Speaker Greg Fergus continued urging MPs to reside down their rhetoric successful mobility period.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, erstwhile answering a mobility from Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre connected nan c tax, bordered connected utilizing an expletive, by prolonging nan “Shh” sound successful nan connection “shameless.” That prompted a informing from Fergus.

Later during mobility period, Poilievre kissed his biceps many times arsenic Trudeau was saying his authorities would proceed fighting for Canadians.