House of Commons rejects Bloc motion calling for $814 million to be paid to Quebecers

The Bloc Québécois motion calling on Mark Carney’s Liberal government to pay Quebecers and British Columbians a share equivalent to the nearly $4 billion in “rebates” paid to other Canadians was defeated.

On Wednesday, Bloc Québécois MPs could only count on the support of New Democratic Party MPs. Both the Liberals and Conservatives voted against the bill. In total, 30 MPs voted for it and 308 voted against it, according to a statement in the House of Commons.

The motion called on the government to provide Quebecers with $814 million in compensation. An amendment was also on the table to ensure that British Columbians also receive what would be their share, namely $513 million.

A few minutes earlier, during question period, Bloc Québécois leader Yves-François Blanchet once again demanded that the government correct “its flagrant injustice” against Quebecers.

Carney replied that it was in fact to provide “a transition period” for the “millions and millions” of families who were subject to the federal tax that he made this latest payment.

“There are different systems. There are different transitions. It’s not unfair, it’s consistent,” he argued.

“Very comfortable”

Questioned by journalists, the Liberal MP for Quebec Centre and renowned economist, Jean-Yves Duclos, declared that he understands the situation “very well” and that he is “very comfortable” with his party’s decision.

“Citizens of other provinces (besides Quebec and British Columbia) were promised and budgeted for a final carbon rebate, which they received a few weeks ago,” he said.

His colleague, the government leader in the House of Commons, Steven MacKinnon, argued that the cheque has “everything to do” with the carbon tax, rejecting in the same breath the suggestion that it was a gift to some taxpayers just days before the election.

Until now, many Liberals, including the Prime Minister, have claimed that the cheque – $151 per Ontario taxpayer, for example – was distributed “to those who contributed these amounts,” to quote the explanation offered by Quebec caucus president Stéphane Lauzon on Wednesday morning.

But this was false. In fact, Carney’s Liberal government chose to make a final carbon tax payment in April to taxpayers in provinces that do not have their own pollution pricing system.

This “rebate” was, however, excessive since the sums were never going to be collected during the quarter in question, the abolition of the price on pollution coming into effect on the first day of this period.

Contempt of Parliament?

In a rare development, the Bloc Québécois members outright accused the Liberals of “lying” on the issue and even considered that Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne committed contempt of Parliament on Tuesday evening.

Bloc Québécois finance critic Jean-Denis Garon argued that Minister Champagne provided a “misleading” answer, that he knew it to be inaccurate, and that he intended to mislead the House.

“It (the response) suggests that the rebates were paid out of the carbon pricing mechanism, when in fact the amounts come from public money taken from government coffers, which are made up of Canadians’ taxes,” he explained.

During the exchange, Garon asked Minister Champagne if he acknowledged that the “rebate” payment was sent before the tax that financed it was collected. After avoiding the question on four previous attempts, the minister finally replied that “no,” this was not the case.

At a press briefing, Garon argued that the Carney government prefers “lies” and “persists in (not) recognizing reality” by repeating ad nauseam “the equivalent in public finance that the earth was flat.”