Bloc deadline comes and goes, cabinet ministers largely unconcerned

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OTTAWA — The gauntlet’s been dropped.

As the sun rose Tuesday in Ottawa, so went the deadline set by the Bloc Quebecois for the government to pass two key bills, or it would begin talks with other parties to bring down the minority Liberals.

“The government has not respected today’s deadline,” BQ leader Yves-François Blanchet told reporters in French Tuesday morning.

“Accordingly, a letter will be signed and forwarded to the leaders of all opposition parties. This is to initiate discussions so that at the first occasion, Justin Trudeau’s government will be reversed.”

Blanchet set the deadline last month as the party struggled to convince the government to ensure the passage of two BQ private members bills, one aimed at protecting agricultural supply management, and the other that increases benefit payments for Canadians over the age of 65.

With that deadline come and gone, Blanchet says he’s prepared to back calls for a government-toppling confidence motion.

“We will continue, despite all of this, continue to fight for measures that not only all Quebeckers want, but all Canadians want as well.”

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Tuesday’s move comes nearly two months after NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh tore up their more than two-year-old supply and confidence agreement it had with the Trudeau Liberals, accusing the government of being too weak and beholden to its corporate interests to be a match for the Tories in the next election.

But without the support of the NDP, neither Blanchet or Opposition Leader Pierre Poilievre would have enough votes in the House for a successful non-confidence motion.

Liberal cabinet ministers, heading into their weekly cabinet meeting, were largely unconcerned.

While Public Services Minister Jean-Yves Duclos described the Bloc’s ultimatum as an “artificial deadline,” employment Minister Randy Boissonnault expressed little concern.

“We’re in a minority situation, so we’re going to talk with all parties, but the Bloc’s deadline is nothing precipitous,” Boissonnault said.

“We’ll go this cabinet meeting, we’ll have a conversation about how we’ll continue to work for Canadians, because that’s really important.”

bpassifiume@postmedia.com

X: @bryanpassifiume