Liberals vote against Bloc Quebecois’ old age security motion

Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet is upping the ante for the Liberals, threatening to move toward an election as early as next week if the government doesn’t back a plan to increase old age security payments.

Most Liberals voted against a Bloc motion on Wednesday calling for the government to give a royal recommendation to a bill that would increase pensions for seniors under age 75 by 10 per cent. The move will cost more than $3 billion a year.

A private member’s bill that costs money requires the government’s support.

The Bloc, NDP and Conservatives all voted for the motion, but it carries only symbolic weight because it is non-binding.

Five Liberal MPs from Atlantic provinces also voted in favour of the motion, according to the vote result on the Commons website: René Arseneault, Serge Cormier, Mike Kelloway, Ken McDonald and Wayne Long. The Atlantic provinces have the highest proportion of residents over the age of 65.

Blanchet initially told the Liberals they had until Oct. 29 to support the bill, or he would begin talks with other parties to topple the government. After the vote Wednesday he said he doesn’t think the Liberals will change course before the end of the month.

“So they have until a few days from now to go on with the royal recommendation, and if they do not, we will start as rapidly as next week to speak with other opposition (parties) to go into an election,” he said.

As Liberal MPs stood in the House to vote against the motion, MPs on the Conservative and NDP benches booed them.

Liberal House leader Karina Gould said earlier in the day that the move was “not appropriate for an opposition day motion.”

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said his party would vote with the Bloc because it has “long supported the