The federal government must pass Bill C-282, the leader of the Bloc says
How soon Canadians head to the polls for a federal election could depend on how quickly an ag bill receives royal assent.
Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet gave the Liberals a deadline of Oct. 29 to pass two of the Bloc’s private member bills, or it will work with other parties to vote non-confidence in the government.
“This is the demand in its entirety, it is irrevocable and non-negotiable,” Blanchet told reporters in Ottawa on Wednesday.
The Liberals survived a non-confidence vote 211 to 120 on Wednesday with support from the NDP and Bloc, two Green MPs and two Independent MPs.
The ag bill a federal election could hinge on is Bill C-282.
The bill, introduced in June 2022 by Luc Thériault, the MP for Montcalm, removes supply management and related goods from any future trade deals.
Under current trade agreements like CETA, the CPTPP and CUSMA, Canada has conceded about 18 per cent of its dairy market to global trading partners.
C-282 passed its third reading in the House of Commons on June 21, 2023.
Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay voted in favour of the bill, which is currently at consideration in committee in the Senate.
The Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade met about C-282 Wednesday is doing so again Thursday morning.
Canada’s ag sector has differing views on C-282.
The Canadian Federation of Agriculture and farm groups representing supply-managed producers, for example, support the bill.
Dairy Farmers of Canada, Egg Farmers of Canada and related organizations said in June 2023 that Bill C-282 represents an opportunity for growth in the ag sector.
Passing the legislation shows real commitment to ag, the CFA said.
“By voting for this Bill, politicians will be able to show their true support for supply-managed farmers and allow those farmers to rely on the law rather than rhetoric,” Mary Robinson, then president of the CFA, said in a statement on Feb. 8, 2023.
The Canadian Agri-Food Trade Alliance, however, wanted MPs to vote against the bill.
Telling potential trading partners that something is off the table before negotiations begin may be a poor starting point.
“The passage of this bill provides no tangible benefits to Canadians while risking our economic growth, international reputation, and key trading relationships-both current and future,” CAFTA President Dan Darling said in a June 20, 2023 statement.
The other bill the Bloc wants passed by its Oct. 29 deadline is C-319, which increases Old Age Security payments by 10 per cent for Canadians between 65 and 74-years-old.
"What we are proposing is good for retired persons in Quebec but also in Canada. It's good for milk, eggs and poultry producers in Quebec but also in Canada. That's good for everybody," Blanchet said in Ottawa Wednesday.
Mr. Blanchet starts to discuss his party's demands in English at 15:44 of the video.