(Ottawa) Liberal ministers chose not to give in to the ultimatum launched by the Bloc Québécois. They voted against his motion to improve the Old Age Security (PSV) pension for 65 to 74 year olds, which means that the bill will die on the order paper even though the motion was adopted thanks to the support of the Conservatives. , New Democrats and Greens. Minister Jean-Yves Duclos, however, opened the door to another form of assistance for the most vulnerable seniors.
A handful of Liberals also supported the motion, which ultimately passed with 181 votes in favor and 143 against. The party line had not been imposed. Former minister Pablo Rodriguez, candidate for leadership of the Quebec Liberal Party, voted for the motion.
“The government will vote no,” said the government House leader, Karina Gould, as she left the Liberal caucus meeting earlier in the day. She made it a procedural question, explaining that the Bloc Québécois maneuver is “inappropriate” and “would create a precedent.”
The Conservatives, who had kept the suspense going, finally supported the Bloc motion. “The government has created a very difficult situation for seniors, seniors who have difficulty finding housing and seniors who have difficulty paying their bills at the end of the month, finding food,” said the leader. deputy in the conservative chamber, Luc Berthold, before the vote.
The Bloc Québécois issued an ultimatum to the Trudeau government last week. He gives him until October 29 to adopt two of his bills – on improving the PSV and on protecting supply management – and thus avoid elections.
He then tabled a motion to force the government to take a position on Bill C-319 to grant a 10% PSV increase to seniors aged 65 to 74. Only those aged 75 and over are entitled to it since it came into force in 2022.
“We are very proud of our record for seniors, especially in support of the most vulnerable seniors in housing, in guaranteed income supplement and yes in improving old age security,” underlined the Minister of Labor and Seniors, Steven MacKinnon.
He recalled in passing that the Bloc Québécois had voted against these measures. “You will find me incredulous that this suddenly becomes a national emergency,” he said.
The leader of the Bloc Québécois Yves-François Blanchet reminded him during question period that these measures were accompanied by interference in Quebec’s areas of jurisdiction.
The motion is not binding, but the cabinet voting against it ends the bill’s progress in the House of Commons. He will therefore not obtain the royal recommendation which was necessary for his advancement. This recommendation was necessary since it was an opposition party’s bill that involved government spending.
Liberal ministers say an opposition bill that would commit $16 billion in spending would set “a terrible precedent.”
“We will see if Mr. Blanchet’s project is really the one best suited to helping the most vulnerable,” explained Minister Jean-Yves Duclos, Justin Trudeau’s political lieutenant in Quebec.
“We know that with Mr. Blanchet’s bill, a senior with $25,000 in retirement income can receive less than a couple with $150,000. I won’t need that money when I retire one day and I’m eligible for federal pensions, but in my opinion Mr. Blanchet won’t need that money either. So is this the best way to help the most vulnerable seniors? This is an important question. »
He said he was open to discussing it “intelligently and correctly”, but not under the influence of a threat. He did not want to indicate whether the government was considering increasing the Guaranteed Income Supplement intended for less fortunate seniors.
The leader of the Bloc Québécois, Yves-François Blanchet, has already closed the door to compromise.