(Ottawa) The Bloc Québécois believes that senators are blocking the adoption of its Bill C-282 aimed at protecting supply management, a legislative proposal which is part of the ultimatum launched by the Bloc members to the Liberal minority government.
“Peter Boehm and Peter Harder, two small, unelected monarchs, both appointed to the Senate by the Liberals, are voluntarily blocking a bill that is nevertheless supported by the majority in this House. Will the Liberals ensure that senators respect democracy and adopt C-282? », Launched the Bloc agriculture spokesperson, Yves Perron, on Thursday during question period.
The legislative piece, which proposes to protect supply management in all trade negotiations, has been under study in the Senate for more than a year. MPs gave their final seal of approval to C-282 with a strong majority in the House of Commons.
It was the Minister of Public Services and Procurement, Jean-Yves Duclos, who responded to Mr. Perron, emphasizing that there is no Liberal caucus in the Senate since changes made by the first Minister Justin Trudeau.
PHOTO PATRICK DOYLE, THE CANADIAN PRESS
Minister Jean-Yves Duclos
Senators know that they are independent, but senators also know that they must do their job and carefully consider the point of view of the House when they want to support farmers in Quebec and elsewhere in the country or not.
Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Public Services and Procurement
Mr. Duclos took the opportunity to recall that the Liberals voted in favor of C-282 in the House.
“The Liberal Party has always supported supply management in Canada. Moreover, it is a Liberal government that implemented supply management several years ago. We have always been there behind the farmers,” he concluded.
During a meeting of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee studying the bill last week, Conservative Senator Leo Housakos lamented the slow pace of things without directly attacking Senators Boehm and Harder.
“How can we explain that this bill has been hanging around before the Senate for a very long time? […] a bill that was supported by the vast majority of deputies in the Democratic House? “, he wondered aloud.
Mr. Boehm, who chairs this committee, justified the time spent hearing witnesses on C-282 – like MP Perron – by the fact that the group of senators also worked on several other files, such as sanctions and a study concerning Africa.
“And, if people notice, there are some wars going on. So we’re doing our best to get these audiences now. They will be whole and complete,” he said.
Mr. Harder, a member of the Senate Progressive Group, expressed his opposition to C-282, which would amend the Act respecting the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development, during the same session.
“Can you tell me if there is any other law anywhere in the world that uses the law of a Ministry of Foreign Affairs […] (to) prohibit a particular negotiation? “, he asked Mr. Perron and two other Bloc members who were testifying.
The senator then added that this did not exist anywhere else, telling elected officials that they are “special”.
“You are excluding a particular sector from the negotiations. That’s the difference and that’s why I’m very concerned about this bill,” he said.
Senators Harder and Boehm did not immediately respond Thursday to a request for comment from The Canadian Press.
The full adoption of C-282 is one of the two conditions given by the Bloc Québécois to the minority Liberal government so that the opposition party avoids bringing it down between now and Christmas. The political party gives the Liberals until October 29 to grant its wishes.
Beyond this deadline, the Bloc threatens to begin discussions with the other opposition parties to bring down the government. Bloc leader Yves-François Blanchet even said he was ready to head for an electoral campaign before then if it seemed “impossible” for the Liberals to accede to the Bloc demands.