When the NDP and Liberals signed the confidence and supply agreement in 2022, Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet said the agreement had swung the pendulum of power too far in one direction and was not protecting Quebec’s interests.
Blanchet said the pendulum has swung even more in Quebec’s favor since NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh tore up the governing agreement, and he said he intends to take advantage of the situation or risk seeing the Trudeau government fall.
“We have now repealed a law that is at the very heart of the existence of this administration. This is what we call power,” he told a gleeful crowd of reporters outside the House of Representatives on Thursday.
Indeed, at the top of the Bloc’s list of demands is a bill that would benefit millions of seniors not just in Quebec but across Canada.
The House10:29A rollercoaster week as Congress returns to power
It’s been a busy week on Parliament Hill, with two crucial by-elections, the resignation of key cabinet ministers, a looming confidence vote and some tense moments during question and answer. The House of Commons will report on the highlights, followed by Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet telling host Catherine Cullen how he plans to exert his influence in this minority parliament.
Bill C-319 proposes to increase the full pension amount by 10 percent for people who turn 65. It also increases the employment income deduction used in determining the amount of the Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) from $5,000 to $6,500.
Blanchette is also using Bill C-282, which would give new protections to Canada’s supply-management system, as a bargaining chip.
“We may be able to score some big wins on these issues in the coming weeks, or the Liberals may lose,” Blanchett told CBC host Catherine Cullen. The House.
Blanchette said she hadn’t received any commitments from the Liberals on either bill, dispelling speculation that the agreement had already been signed in exchange for the Liberals staying in power through a Conservative vote of no confidence next week.
“it’s not [about] Support the government. It is [about] “They’re not going to fall anytime soon,” Blanchette said, adding that the party was being tactically patient.
“Firstly, we are going to pass this vote that the Conservatives have instigated. They are going to lose, they are going to lose face. They haven’t been running their politics properly and this is the punishment they now deserve.”
“I don’t secure anything. I ask for things, and if I don’t get them, they’re lost, and that’s it.”
Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet said the Conservative party’s motion of no confidence, due to be tabled next week, is solely about Conservative Leader Pierre Poirievre and “his own big ambitions.”
“I know the tricks. I predict the traps.”
According to the Parliamentary Budget Office, the Bloc Québécois bill for seniors would cost the government an additional $16.1 billion over five years.
The bill has already passed committee with unanimous cross-party support and is currently awaiting third reading.
“You know, this may be good for Quebec, but it may also be good for the rest of Canada,” said Bloc MP Andréanne LaRouche, who introduced the private member’s bill.
“What we feel about the cost of living crisis is that seniors are particularly affected by this crisis because they’re on a fixed income. They have the same issues with grocery costs, they have the same issues with housing costs.”
But while the bill received cross-party support in committee, it is unlikely to become law even if it passes third reading in the House of Commons.
As this is a proposal to increase government spending, it needs the Royal Recommendation, which means ministers need to approve the bill. Without that approval, the bill will not be accepted and will not progress beyond the House of Commons.
“It’s entirely possible that the government will vote in favour of our legislation, but then they may not implement it,” Blanchette told CBC News.
“Of course, we are aware of the trick. We are anticipating the trap. And we are preparing for it, and our demands will rapidly become clearer about it.”
Mobilizing the Elderly Vote
The proposal to increase pensions for those aged 65 and above comes two years after the government made a similar proposal for those who turn 75.
The Bloc Party’s proposed changes to the GIS calculation would also not penalise older people who want to continue working beyond retirement age.
“Certainly, some low-income earners have to work to meet a minimum standard of living, but there are many people who want to work past 65,” said Arthur Sweetman, an economics professor at McMaster University, who spoke about the bill when it was introduced in committee last year.
“In fact, this movement is primarily driven by people who want to work and enjoy working. It’s not driven by low-income people over 65 because they’re working. It’s driven by middle- and high-income people over 65 who are choosing to work because they enjoy it.”
One former Bloc MP said there was a clear political strategy behind the pension bill.
“We all know that senior citizens have a higher voter turnout. They’re the demographic that votes the most,” said Pierre Paquette, who represented Joliet from 2000 to 2011.
“And Quebec still has a significant number of people born with nationalist views. The Bloc Québécois needs those votes in the next election.”
Blanchet told reporters that his party’s opposition election date is expected to be in early October. In the meantime, he is keeping his strategy secret.
“If they don’t get the number of votes I want, they will fall. That’s for them to decide. And we’re starting to hear rumors that they will be seriously considering it,” Blanchette said.
