Bloc Quebecois threatens to force election next week if Liberals don’t support pension bill
https://tnc.news/2024/10/03/bloc-quebecois-threatens-to-force-election/
After voting with the Liberals against a Conservative non-confidence motion in exchange of “gains for Quebec,” BQ leader Yves-Francois Blanchet has threatened to “force” an early election next week if his demands aren’t met.
Blanchet’s threat to the government for an early election relies on the government’s response to a private member’s bill sponsored by a BQ MP, Bill C-319, asking the government to raise the income that Canadians aged 65 and older receive from Old Age Security pensions by 10%.
The bill would also “raise the exemption for a person’s employment income or self-employed earnings that is taken into account in determining the amount of the guaranteed income supplement from $5,000 to $6,500.”
When the BQ first announced its willingness to form a coalition with the Liberals, it also asked for more autonomy for Quebec over its language laws and the number of immigrants admitted into the province.
The Conservatives, NDP, and Green Party have said they are voting for the royal agreement of the BQ-led bill, with the Liberal government being the only holdout.
During a press conference Wednesday, Blanchet gave the Liberal government a deadline to support the private member’s bill to raise the OAS funding for seniors or face a potential election.
The BQ originally gave the government until Oct. 29 to capitulate on the OAS file. Continue…