The Liberal government has failed to meet Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves Francois Blanchet’s ultimatum to support two private members’ bills on increasing Canadian pensions and supply management for farming, leading Blanchet to push for an early election.
Following the NDP officially ending its coalition with the Liberal government during the lead-up to a Manitoba election, the BQ positioned itself to form a new coalition with the Liberal government to keep them in power in exchange for two of its private members’ bills being passed.
One of the bills, Bill C-319, proposed raising Old Age Security payments for seniors aged 65 and 74 by 10%. The other, Bill C-282, would exclude altering supply management in the dairy, poultry, and eggs sectors from any future international trade deals.
The BQ gave the government five weeks to pass these bills or it would consult with opposition parties to call an early election, the deadline of Oct. 29 came Tuesday, leading Blanchet to vow to push for an early election immediately.
“This government’s expiry date has passed, and it’s up to the people of Canada and Quebec to put together a new Parliament,” Blanchet said. “The government is in this situation. It could have made a proposal or accepted the reasonable proposal of the BQ, widely supported by the people of Quebec and Canada, or it could have tried to reach an agreement with the NDP that would be much further to the left than the people of Quebec and Canada want.”
He said he was convinced that the NDP were aware of how “toxic “ the situation was and only needed encouragement to trigger the next election.
“If the NDP, which voted in favour of our two bills, wants to be consistent, seeing that the government hasn’t delivered anything that Quebeckers and Canadians want, they should get some signs printed,” Blanchet said.
He said his party and those who voted alongside the bills “can’t turn our backs on pensioners and agricultural producers.”
“As things stand, we are discussing the end of a government,” Blanchet said. “At the earliest opportunity, following conversations that the government will have with the leaders of the other opposition parties, its days are seriously numbered.”
The NDP did not respond to True North’s requests to comment on their level of support for an early election. Though Singh has said his party is ready for an early election but will consider each vote of non-confidence on a “vote by vote basis.”
When asked by reporters if Blanchet would reverse his rhetoric if the government decided to give in to his demands, he said only if they did so before the fall of the government, which he said could happen as early as tomorrow.
“Let’s say that if they give us exactly all we have asked for before they fall because if there’s a vote tomorrow, they might fall tomorrow, we will look into it and be coherent with all we have said so far,” Blanchet said. “We want precisely what is in Bill C-319, and in Bill C-282, bring that to us, and we’ll discuss, but in the meantime, they are seriously in danger to fall.”
Blanchet said this doesn’t mean the BQ will vote on every non-confidence motion.
“It depends on the way it’s written. You know, if it’s against the values of Quebec in terms of language, secularity of the state, immigration, the environment, we’re not stupid. We will not go against what we are,” he said. “The most simple way to do it is a motion that says that the chamber removes its support and confidence in this government, and that’s the end.”
He said his party is ready for an election. The five-week deadline they gave, he said, allowed them and every other party to prepare themselves for a potential Christmas election and for an election to be called as early as Wednesday, Oct. 30.
“Not only are we ready, but we might be expecting that with enthusiasm,” Blanchet said. “I do not believe that Quebecers want elections so much, but I do believe that they will understand that this is where we are now.”
Conservatives most recently proposed a vote of non-confidence to trigger an election in September, though both the NDP and BQ voted against it.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and his fellow Conservatives have vowed to continue to push for an early election, which they say will allow Canadians to vote on issues such as the Liberal carbon tax, crime and safety, the economy and housing, among other things.