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Liberals will vote against Bloc’s pension motion, government House leader says


Government House leader Karina Gould says the Liberals will today vote against a key Bloc Québécois motion that the opposition party has presented as a condition of its support in future confidence votes.

Bloc Leader Yves-François Blanchet put forward a motion Tuesday calling on the government to support Bill C-319, a Bloc private member’s bill that would hike Old Age Security (OAS) payouts for seniors between the ages of 65 and 74 by 10 per cent.

For the Bloc’s pension legislation to become law, the Liberal government would have to grant a “royal recommendation” because a private member’s bill can’t force Ottawa to spend more money without cabinet approval.

Gould said Wednesday the Liberals wouldn’t support the Bloc’s motion because it was attempting to push the government to grant that royal recommendation.

“It is not appropriate for an opposition day motion to set the precedent of getting a royal recommendation,” Gould told reporters on Parliament Hill.

Blanchet has warned the government that if it does not push through the Bloc’s pension legislation by the end of this month, the party will start negotiating with other opposition parties to trigger an early election.

The vote on the Bloc’s motion is expected to happen this afternoon.

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