After backing a motion to increase Canada’s universal pension, Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poièvre declined to say whether he would do so if he became prime minister.
Earlier this month, Bloc Quebecois Party Leader Yves-François Blanchet introduced a motion in support of Private Member’s Bill C-319, which would increase Old Age Security (OAS) payments by 10 per cent for seniors aged 65 to 74.
The motion ultimately passed with the support of five Conservative, NDP, Green and Liberal backbenchers. Most Liberal MPs voted against it.
However, polls show that Poièvre ready to win a supermajority governmentAsked Thursday whether his party would move forward with tax increases if elected, he did not make a statement.
“We believe seniors need more purchasing power, and this vote showed that. But there are other options,” he said at a news conference in Toronto.
Poièvre proposed abolishing the Liberals’ carbon tax and lowering income taxes to increase retirement income for seniors.
“As we develop our platform, we will advance lower-tax plans that allow seniors to receive stronger pensions and take home affordable and dignified retirements,” he said.
A week after the Conservative Party backed calls for an increase in superannuation benefits for people under 75, Conservative Party leader Pierre Poièvre said he was absolutely committed to including the increase in his party’s next election platform. He suggested that there was no commitment.
Senior benefits, such as OAS and the Income Security Supplement (GIS) for low-income seniors, are the largest and fastest growing part of the federal budget.
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.
Liberal Leader Karina Gould said ministers would not support the Block’s motion because it seeks to ask the government to approve a royal recommendation to increase spending.
Gould told reporters on Parliament Hill earlier this month: “It would not be appropriate for a motion against the date to set a precedent for obtaining a royal nomination.”
Instead, the government is touting its dental care and upcoming pharmacare programs as evidence of its focus on supporting the elderly.
The Bloc will need the Liberals to grant a “royal recommendation” for the OAS bill, as private members’ bills cannot force the government to spend without cabinet approval.
Expanding the OAS is one of two key demands that Blanchet’s bloc has set as a condition for supporting Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s minority Liberal government. It also calls for stronger trade protection for the supply-managed agricultural sector.
He said Wednesday there were only days left for the Liberal government to secure the party’s support in the House of Commons.
Blanchett said seniors “literally built Quebec and built the prosperity that we all enjoy today, so they deserve a significant increase in their purchasing power.”
Youth advocacy group Generation Squeeze says if the bloc gets his way, “young Canadians will have to pay even more in taxes for baby boomer OAS benefits.” Ta.
