Bloc pushes government on pension deal as Liberals survive no-confidence vote Achi-News

OTTAWA – The Liberal government survived a second no-confidence vote in as many weeks on Tuesday, once again delaying the prospect of Canada being plunged into an immediate election campaign.

Although the Liberals were clear for another day, the Bloc Québécois made it clear that they may not be so lucky the next time the Conservatives bring a motion of no confidence before the House of Commons.

Members of Parliament voted on a Conservative motion on Tuesday afternoon that called on MPs to declare that they have lost faith in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his nine-year-old government.

The Liberals, NDP and Bloc Québécois voted against the proposal, as they did with a similar proposal last week.

Last month, the NDP ended a supply and confidence agreement that had stabilized the minority government for more than two years. New Democrats will now vote on a case-by-case basis but have given no ultimatum for their support.

Bloc Leader Yves-François Blanchet has given the Liberals until October 29 to green light his party’s pension bill, which is estimated to cost around $16 billion over five years.

In return, his party “will not disengage the government that is not doing well,” he said in French on Tuesday.

“If the government does not accept our request, well, we will understand what that means and we will start negotiations which may not be pleasant, but the end will be clear,” he said Blanchet in his speech to the House on Tuesday, promising in that case to work with the other opposition parties to bring down the government.

However, complying with the Bloc’s demands will only buy the government a few months of support.

The NDP and Conservatives already voted in favor of the Bloc’s pension bill on second reading, which would increase old age security payments by 10 percent for seniors between the ages of 65 and 74.

Because it is a spending measure, the governing Liberals need to support the legislation. They have not yet said whether they will negotiate with the Bloc.

The Liberals increased old age security payments by 10 per cent for people over 75 in 2022, with the intention of targeting the most vulnerable elderly.

Despite all the attention on the political threat to the Liberals, Bloc MP Yves Perron said the vote on the bill was a matter of human dignity for older people.

Instead of debating the proposal, Kevin Lamoureux, the Liberal House leader’s parliamentary secretary, outlined other ways his party has supported seniors since it was elected in 2015, including by creating a national dental care program for low-income Canadians and medium. and drafting national pharmaceutical care legislation.

“These programs are of great benefit to our older people. Unfortunately, the Bloc has made the decision to vote against these programs,” said Lamoureaux.

Liberal House leader Karina Gould would not comment on the Bloc’s proposal on Tuesday except to say she was looking forward to the debate.

NDP MP Bonita Zarrillo called the Liberals “cruel and callous” for withholding financial support for the Bloc bill. The vote on the Bloc’s proposal is expected later this week.

This report was first published by The Canadian Press on October 1, 2024.

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