Government House of Commons Leader Karina Gould said the Liberals would today vote against the Bloc Quebecois’ main motion tabled by the opposition as a condition for support in a future vote of confidence.
Bloc leader Yves-François Blanchet tabled a motion on Tuesday calling on the government to support Bill C-319. Bill C-319 is a bloc private member’s bill that would increase Old Age Security (OAS) payments by 10 percent for seniors aged 65 to 74. .
For the bloc’s pension law to become law, the Liberal government must approve the Royal Recommendation. That’s because private members’ bills cannot force Ottawa to spend more without cabinet approval.
Mr Gould said on Wednesday that the Liberal Party would not support the bloc’s motion as it sought to pressure the government to accept the royal recommendation.
“An Opposition Day motion that would set a precedent for obtaining a royal endorsement is not appropriate,” Gould told reporters at Parliament House.
Mr Blanchet warned the government that if it did not pass the bloc’s pension bill by the end of this month, he would begin negotiations with other opposition parties to trigger early elections.
Bloc leaders indicated there was no room for compromise on the party’s proposals.
“There is nothing to negotiate. If we don’t do this by October 29th, we will negotiate with other opposition parties and bring down the government,” Blanchett told reporters on Tuesday.
The Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO) says Brock’s proposed OAS increase would cost $16 billion over the next five years, and the spending would further increase the national debt, which currently exceeds $1.2 trillion. It turns out. The cost to finance all of this debt will be about $54 billion this year.
Earlier Wednesday, many Liberals said Brock’s proposal was not targeted at the most vulnerable seniors.
“I think the question is how do we better support our vulnerable elderly population? We have a population of elderly people who are doing really well,” Public Services Minister Jean-Yves Duclos told reporters on Wednesday. There is,” he said.
Ontario Liberal MP Nathaniel Erskine-Smith said Bullock’s bill is “too expensive and poorly targeted.”
“When you think of the people who are really struggling right now, it’s older people on low incomes, young Canadians who are struggling to get into the housing market, who are struggling to pay their rent,” Erskine-Smith said. he said.
“In today’s fiscal environment, if anyone thinks it’s beneficial to spend new taxpayer money, taxpayer money that we don’t have, on seniors who make more than $120,000, block You should explain that logic to me.
According to , people over the age of 65 are less likely to be considered low-income. Statistics Canada 2022.
Poverty rates for the elderly are the lowest of all age groups. About 11% of people between the ages of 18 and 64 are classified as “low income,” compared to just 6% of those over 65, the data shows.
A vote on Brock’s motion is expected to take place this afternoon.