Government will vote against Bloc's pension motion, Liberal House leader says

Government House leader Karina Gould has announced that the Liberal government will vote against a significant Bloc Québécois motion today, which the opposition party has put forward as a prerequisite for its support in future confidence votes.

Bloc Leader Yves-François Blanchet presented a motion on Tuesday urging the government to back Bill C-319, a private member's bill from the Bloc that seeks to increase Old Age Security (OAS) payments for seniors aged 65 to 74 by 10 percent.

For the Bloc's pension legislation to be enacted, the Liberal government must provide a "royal recommendation," as a private member's bill cannot compel Ottawa to allocate more funds without cabinet approval. Gould stated on Wednesday that the Liberal cabinet would not endorse the Bloc's motion because it aims to pressure the government into granting that royal recommendation.

"It is not appropriate for an opposition day motion to set the precedent of getting a royal recommendation," Gould remarked to reporters on Parliament Hill.

Steve MacKinnon, the minister of labor and seniors, noted that the motion would be treated as a free vote for Liberal backbenchers.

"We have very, very strict criteria for something that is mandatory for all government MPs to support. It's not in this category," he explained to reporters in French.

Blanchet has cautioned the government that if it does not advance the Bloc's pension legislation by the end of the month, the party will begin negotiations with other opposition parties to initiate an early election.

Voting against the motion does not necessarily imply that the government will oppose the pension legislation. Gould indicated that she is in ongoing discussions with the House leaders of the other parties.

However, Blanchet has made it clear that there is no room for compromise regarding his party's proposal.

"There's nothing to negotiate. You do this before Oct. 29, or we negotiate with other opposition parties to have the government fall," the Bloc leader told reporters on Tuesday.

The Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO) has estimated that the Bloc's proposed OAS increase would cost $16 billion over the next five years, adding to a national debt that has already exceeded $1.2 trillion. The cost of servicing this debt amounts to approximately $54 billion this year.

Earlier on Wednesday, several Liberals expressed that the Bloc's proposal does not target the most vulnerable seniors.

"I think the question is how we should be better supportive of our vulnerable seniors. There are seniors that are doing really well in our country," said Public Services Minister Jean-Yves Duclos to reporters.

Ontario Liberal MP Nathaniel Erskine-Smith criticized the Bloc's legislation as "too expensive and poorly targeted."

"If you're considering those in real need right now, it is low-income seniors and young Canadians struggling to enter the housing market and afford rent," Erskine-Smith stated.

"If anyone believes that in today's fiscal environment… it makes sense to spend a new taxpayer dollar — a dollar we don't have — on seniors earning over $120,000, the Bloc should explain that reasoning to me."

According to Statistics Canada data from 2022, individuals over the age of 65 are less likely to be classified as low-income. Seniors have the lowest poverty rates among all age groups, with about 11 percent of those aged 18 to 64 considered "low income," compared to just six percent of those aged 65 and older.

The vote on the Bloc's motion is anticipated to take place this afternoon.