Bloc Motion on Advancing Seniors’ Benefits Bill Passes Without Liberal Support

The West Block of Parliament Hill is pictured at sunset in Ottawa on Dec. 19, 2023. The Canadian Press/Sean Kilpatrick

A Bloc Québécois motion calling on the government to advance a bill increasing spending on seniors’ benefits has passed without Liberal support, leading to a warning from the Bloc leader that his party might talk to other parties about bringing down the government as soon as next week.

The Bloc’s motion, introduced on Oct. 1, called 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 private member’s bill to amend the Old Age Security Act. The motion passed with 181 ”yays“ to 143 ”nays,” with the Bloc, Conservatives, New Democrats, and Greens voting in favour, and the Liberals opposing it.

While a majority of MPs supported the Bloc motion, the Liberal government is not required to issue a minister’s royal recommendation that would allow Bill C-319 to pass. The legislation, which would give seniors aged 65 to 74 the same 10 percent increase in Old Age Security benefits previously granted to those aged 75 and over, is currently going through third reading in the House of Commons.

The Bloc has given a deadline of Oct. 29 for the passage of Bill C-319, as well as Bill C-282, which would prevent Ottawa from making dairy, poultry, and egg quotas non-negotiable in any future trade negotiations.

Following the vote, Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet said that although the deadline is still in effect, his party may begin “as rapidly as next week” to speak with the other parties about getting ready for an early election.

“What we said at the very beginning of this is, if the Liberals do not give us what we demand, on behalf of 4 million Canadians and 1 million Quebecers, and supply management, we will start discussing with the opposition [parties] in order to have this government fall,” he said.

“If, in the meantime, it becomes clear that it is impossible to achieve that, we will start those discussions.”

Blanchet said the vote’s result doesn’t mean the Liberals won’t later support the bill, but the chances of both bills being adopted and implemented before the Oct. 29 deadline are “not so good.”

Liberals Oppose Royal Recommendation

Speaking to reporters before question period, Liberal House leader Karina Gould said the party will not vote in favour of the motion because it is “not appropriate for an opposition day motion to set the precedent of getting a royal recommendation.”

Minister of Labour and Seniors Steve MacKinnon said there is “very stringent criteria” for giving a bill royal recommendation, and Bill C-319 does not fall into that category.

Health Minister Mark Holland said the party will not vote for the Bloc motion because of the “terrible” precedent it would set. “I don’t think Canadians would want $16 billion private member bills just coming in with no contextualization,” he said. “Royal recommendation is a very rare thing.”

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh told reporters his party will support the Bloc motion because the New Democrats have “long supported the idea of increasing pensions for seniors.”

When asked if he will support a non-confidence motion by the Tories or Bloc, he repeated his previous answer that the party will “look at every vote that comes before us and make a decision based on what’s in the best interest of Canadians.”