Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet said his party is prepared for an early election as he argued for his motion asking the government to push forward one of the Bloc’s private member’s bills.
Blanchet has said the minority Liberal government needs to pass two Bloc bills before Oct. 29 to secure his party’s support in confidence motions: Bill C-319, to amend the Old Age Security Act, and Bill C-282, which is related to supply management.
The party’s Oct. 1 motion calls for the government “to take the necessary steps to ensure that a royal recommendation is granted as soon as possible to Bill C-319.” A royal recommendation is given by a minister and is required for bills that impact the budget.
Blanchet said while the Bloc did not want an election in the short term, the party was prepared to trigger one if it could not achieve gains from the Liberals for Quebecers.
“We are fully ready—we have the funding, the themes, we have a plan, the candidates—we are absolutely ready for an election,” Blanchet said in the House of Commons, while introducing the motion on Oct. 1.
While Conservative and NDP MPs have signalled they would vote in favour of the bill, the Liberals have been less clear. During a scrum on Oct. 1, Health Minister Mark Holland said the government had to both work with parliamentarians and be “responsible with the public purse.”
“I won’t be prejudicial to those conversations. They’re ongoing, not just with the Bloc, but with all political parties,” he said. “My instinct is that Canadians want this parliament to continue to function. They elected parties for what they perceive to be a four-year period, and they’re not interested in us finding divisions, they’re interested in us finding common ground.”
Ever since the NDP pulled out of its supply-and-confidence agreement with the Liberals in early September, the Bloc has said it would attempt to extract gains from the government in exchange for the Bloc’s support in confidence votes.
Blanchet gave Oct. 29 as a deadline for the two bills’ passage because he said it would give enough time either for the government to adopt the two bills or for a snap election to be held before Christmas.
NDP and Tories Signal Support for Bill
During debate on Oct. 1, Conservative MP Joël Godin said the Conservatives had previously voted in favour of Bill C-319 because they are “sensitive to the well-being of seniors.”Blanchet responded he was pleased the Conservatives were considering continuing to support the bill, and said the two parties “might also have to vote together to bring down this government” if the bill does not pass.
NDP MP Matthew Green said his party would vote in support of the bill, but said it is “the bare minimum approach” that “isn’t very creative.” Blanchet questioned whether the New Democrats would commit to supporting the Bloc on a non-confidence motion if the legislation failed to pass.
Liberal MP Kevin Lamoureux said the federal government had supported seniors through legislation around dental care, but the Bloc had previously voted against it.
“It was interesting when the leader of the Bloc said that he’s got a plan for whenever the election might come. I would suggest that the leader of the Bloc Party revisit their party’s position on these social programs,” he said.
Lamoureux said the Liberal government had recognized the needs of seniors by increasing benefits for those over age 75.
“This is not a caucus that needs to be lectured about caring for seniors, because we’ve been caring for our seniors from day one, and we will continue to care for our seniors,” he said.
