OTTAWA — Conservatives are not committing to implementing the BQ’s desired boost for benefits for seniors 65 to 74 if they form government — but if they do, it will come at the expense of finding $16 billion in savings over five years, says the leader’s Quebec lieutenant.

Pierre Poilievre’s caucus raised a few eyebrows when it supported a Bloc Québécois motion calling for the Liberal government to support a BQ private member’s bill to increase Old Age Security (OAS) by 10 per cent for seniors aged 65 to 74. According to the parliamentary budget officer, that would come at a net cost of $16.1 billion over five years — a little over $3 billion per year.