Tories and Bloc say they supported COVID-19 aid package to help Canadians

OTTAWA — The federal Conservatives and Bloc Québécois say they voted in favour of the Liberal government’s new financial-aid package for workers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic because Canadians need help.   

But they say they are upset about how the government handled the legislation, which included limiting debate on Bill C-4 before putting it to a confidence vote.

Bloc Leader Yves-François Blanchet says the opposition’s role is to question proposed legislation with the aim of identifying gaps and making it better.

But he says didn’t happen because the Liberals managed to ram the legislation through the House of Commons with minimal debate, with help from the NDP.

Both Blanchet and Conservative House leader Gérard Deltell specifically took aim at the NDP this morning for agreeing to help the Liberals fast-track the bill, accusing the New Democrats of abandoning their role as an opposition party.

The NDP says it did so to provide faster assistance to Canadians cut off from the $2,000-per-month Canada Emergency Response Benefit, or CERB, after it came to an end last weekend.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 30, 2020.

The Canadian Press