(Ottawa) Neither yes nor no. The Trudeau government has still not clarified its position on the 10% increase in the Old Age Security pension for 65 to 74 year olds demanded by the Bloc Québécois. Yves-François Blanchet accused him of being cruel to these seniors during the debate on his opposition motion on Tuesday. The sovereignist party has given the government until October 29 to adopt two of its bills and thus avoid elections.
Posted at 7:12 a.m.
Updated at 3:07 p.m.
“The truth is, our government has done more than any other government to support seniors,” said Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland. “There are fewer seniors living in poverty. »
The Bloc motion, debated on the occasion of National Seniors Day, reads as follows: “That the House asks the government to take the necessary measures so that a royal recommendation is granted as soon as possible to the bill C-319. »
This bill would grant a 10% increase in the Old Age Security pension starting at age 65. It only applies to those aged 75 and over since it came into force in 2022. It would also increase the exemption from $5,000 to $6,500 for a person’s employment income in calculating the amount of the Guaranteed Income Supplement. .
“The government gave partial indexation to retirees aged 75 and over, claiming that they had more needs than others. It’s not completely false, but it doesn’t justify anything,” Mr. Blanchet declared in the chamber.
“He did not give indexation to 65-74 year olds. The real reason seems to be that the government with cruel cynicism is saying “burn your private pension and if you are still alive when you run out, we will give you more”. »
The royal recommendation means that the government authorizes the spending that would result from this bill from an opposition party. They would amount to at least 3 billion per year, according to the parliamentary budget officer. This recommendation must be given by the government at third reading stage which began last week, otherwise the bill will die on the order paper.
The motion is not binding, but it will force the Liberal government to take a position during the vote scheduled for Wednesday.
Minister Freeland and Minister Jean-Yves Duclos put forward the argument of intergenerational equity to justify the fact that only those aged 75 and over benefit from the increase while saying they were ready to discuss.
Mr. Blanchet, however, believes that the government could draw on subsidies intended for the oil and gas industry to finance the application of the increase to 65 to 74 year olds.
“Three billion per year, 16 billion over 5 years, we are all throwing ourselves at the walls, perhaps. But during this same period, even if it will try in every way to hide it, Ottawa will give between 50 and 80 billion dollars to oil companies that do not need it,” he stressed.
The Bloc leader argued that four million seniors would benefit across the country, including one million in Quebec.
Liberal MP Kevin Lamoureux, who is parliamentary secretary to the government leader in the House of Commons, defended the government’s choice which was the subject of a promise during the election campaign.
“As you get older and you start to get to 75 and older, your retirement funds are not as great, your mobility is not as great, your ability to supplement your income is not as great,” he said.
He also attacked, like NDP MP Matthew Green, the fact that the Bloc Québécois voted against the national dental care program.
“Interference, interference, interference, accompanied by a little incompetence,” retorted the Bloc leader.
Eight groups of seniors, including the FADOQ Network, the Quebec Association for the Defense of the Rights of Retired and Pre-retired Persons (AQDR), the Quebec Association of Retirees from the Public and Parapublic Sectors (AQRP) and the Table consultation of seniors from the MRC des Laurentides met in front of parliament after the speech by the Bloc leader to increase the pressure.
The New Democratic Party will vote for the Bloc Québécois motion. The Conservative Party reiterated that it supported Bill C-319 without specifying whether it would also support the motion. This is one of the legislative texts that the Bloc Québécois wants to see adopted by October 29, otherwise it threatens to bring down the government. The second bill is that on supply management, currently under study in the Senate. However, the game is far from won in the upper house, where some senators believe that Canada’s hands would be tied in possible trade negotiations.
