Bloc Québécois Urges Government to Pass Two Bills Before November to Avoid Early Election

September 25, 2024 TruthUSA

The Bloc Québécois stated that the minority Liberal government must pass two of its private member’s bills by Oct. 29 to secure its support during confidence votes.

Bloc Leader Yves-François Blanchet has been vocal about seeking benefits from the Liberals after the NDP withdrew from its supply and confidence agreement in early September. This agreement had kept the minority Liberals in power in exchange for advancing NDP priorities.

Blanchet had previously identified various areas of interest but on Sept. 25, he specified conditions that include the passage of Bill C-319 to amend the Old Age Security Act and Bill C-282 related to supply management.

The Bloc leader warned that if these two bills are not passed by Oct. 29, his party will initiate discussions with other opposition parties to bring down the government.

“The main goal of this approach is to seize the opportunity to secure benefits for Quebec,” he explained, noting that these gains could also extend to individuals outside Quebec.

Blanchet selected the date of Oct. 29 believing that it allows the government enough time to facilitate the passage of the bills and also permits the option of calling a snap election before Christmas.

By introducing Bill C-319, the Bloc aims to enhance the Old Age Security (OAS) pension by 10 percent for seniors aged 65 to 74, mirroring the government’s actions for seniors over 75 in the 2021 budget.

Bill C-282 is a concise legislation that seeks to protect the supply management system in international trade agreements. Supply management is relevant to dairy, poultry, and egg producers, imposing controls on production, pricing, and imports.

In the interim, the Bloc declared its intent to vote against the Tory’s non-confidence motion in the government presented by Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre, scheduled for a vote on Sept. 25.

Blanchet criticized Poilievre’s motion, stating, “A motion which from the get-go doesn’t bear any other topic than saying ‘I’m Pierre Poilievre, I would like to become Justin Trudeau,’ we’ll never vote for that.”

Poilievre’s motion reads: “The House has no confidence in the Prime Minister and the Government.”

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh previously confirmed his party’s intention to oppose the motion. The Liberals rely on support from either the Bloc or NDP to survive confidence votes.

The two bills proposed by the Bloc are currently undergoing different stages of review. Bill C-319, affecting the budget, requires a royal recommendation from a cabinet minister to proceed.

The Parliamentary Budget Officer stated that the implementation of the bill would incur over $3 billion in costs for taxpayers in the 2024-2025 financial year.

Bill C-319 has passed committee review and is currently in the report stage. It was placed in the projected order of business in the House of Commons on Sept. 25, with upcoming steps including House concurrence in the committee report and third reading before proceeding to the Senate.

The Epoch Times reached out to the Bloc and the Government House Leader’s office for comment but did not receive a response by the time of publication.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has not committed to supporting C-319, but mentioned on Sept. 24 that he is “always ready to discuss what more we can do for vulnerable seniors.”

Bill C-282 has progressed significantly, having passed the House in June 2023 and undergone its second reading in the Senate in April 2024. The next phase involves consideration before the Senate foreign affairs committee.

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