愛污传媒

Politics

    • Hybrid Parliament should be here to stay, say MPs in new report

    Share

    The hybrid sitting structure and electronic voting system should become permanent features of the House of Commons, according to a new report from MPs on the Procedure and House Affairs Committee.

    In an extensive report tabled on Monday, the majority of MPs say they want to see the virtual elements of proceedings that were introduced in response to the COVID-19 pandemic become longstanding features of the House, with some caveats.

    The hybrid sitting structure allows MPs to participate virtually in debates and committee meetings, and House of Commons administration developed an electronic voting application that allows MPs to vote remotely from anywhere in Canada, with verification measures.

    The use of the electronic elements has decreased as pandemic restrictions have eased, but some MPs have advocated for the option remaining open long-term. 

    Committee chair Liberal MP Bardish Chagger presented the report on Monday. It spans 106 pages and contains eight main recommendations focused on ways to improve the system and address some of its biggest limitations, including the impact hybrid has had on parliamentary interpreters. 

    WHAT DOES THE REPORT SAY?

    In addition to the overall request to keep hybrid Parliament, the committee is suggesting:

    • The House administration investigate the use of simultaneous interpretation in other parliaments that have a low injury rate amongst interpreters to see how the House system can be improved;
    • That an effort be made to promote the recruitment and retention of interpreters and the Translation Bureau examine the health and safety supports currently available to interpreters;
    • The House roll out a series of mandatory policies meant to protect interpreters, including requiring virtually appearing witnesses at committees use high-quality headsets and have strong connections or their appearance will be rescheduled;
    • That cabinet ministers consider it a "best practice" to be present in person to answer questions during question period and to testify before committees;
    • That chairs and vice-chairs of committees be present in person for all committee meetings; and
    • The House of Commons administration, after consultation with the whips of each party, ensure adequate audio-visual equipment is provided for virtual participants and interpreters.

    "I hope all members take time to read this very invigorating report," Chagger said. As she was speaking, audio issues were being experienced inside the chamber, connected to the large screens that have been placed on either side of the Speaker鈥檚 chair to broadcast whomever is speaking, whether in person or at home, to the House.

    While the House of Commons administration worked expeditiously to find innovative and historic new ways for MPs to adapt to the COVID-19 reality while keeping up with their work of debating and passing legislation, the provisions were not meant to be permanent.

    As MPs have adjusted to having the option, many have spoken about how it's allowed them to essentially be two places in one: available to their constituents as well as able to participate in proceedings in Ottawa. Though, over the two years of its use, there have been several snafus and more serious transgressions associated with the hybrid-sitting model, from poor audio and video quality and connectivity issues, to MPs having to apologize for taking the debate into the toilet with them.

    Prior to the pandemic-era sitting structure coming into effect, MPs did find workarounds to have their votes counted if they could not be present through procedural measures like pairing votes, but did not have the ability to participate in debate without being in the Chamber in person.

    'TOO FAR, TOO FAST': CONSERVATIVES

    There is not unanimity over the idea of keeping hybrid sittings, with the Conservatives coming out against the idea. Though, instead of calling for an immediate scrapping, they are recommending that the hybrid provisions stay until one year into the next Parliament, to give the House time to consider the implications.

    "While there have been some benefits from some aspects of hybrid Parliament, we have undoubtedly witnessed firsthand of our shortcomings with it," said Conservative MP and committee vice-chair John Nater, presenting the Conservatives' dissenting report in the House, pointing to ministerial accountability and the toll on interpreters as examples.

    He said he thinks the majority of MPs in agreement with a permanent extension of a hybrid Parliament are going "too far, too fast" and pointed to the longstanding tradition of permanent changes to the Standing Orders鈥攖he rules that govern the House of Commons鈥攕hould only be done when there is consensus.

    The Conservatives are recommending that, in the meantime, the House reverts to entirely in-person proceedings in the House while allowing the electronic voting app to stay up and running to allow MPs who can't be there to still ultimately have their voice heard.

    They also want to see a requirement imposed that ministers and senior officials appear in person at committees.

    WHAT HAPPENS NOW?

    As it stands, the hybrid sitting structure is supposed to remain in place through June 2023, pending the committee's findings. The decision to lock the provisions for a year was made with the support of the Liberal, NDP and Green MPs last June. 

    Then, over the fall sitting, the committee took on this study into the future of hybrid Parliament.

    As part of the committee's work, MPs heard from current and former parliamentarians, as well as international parliamentary officials and top House of Commons staff on the utilization of the hybrid model and voting app to see what worked, or didn't. Then, the committee went behind closed doors to draft a report, which was finalized just prior to the holidays.

    The committee is requesting a comprehensive government response to the report, essentially putting the ball in Government House Leader Mark Holland's court.

    In order for what the committee is calling for to come to fruition, it'll be on the federal Liberal minority to put forward a motion outlining more permanent changes to the Standing Orders, something they have not shied away from doing without all-party support in the past.

    Holland's office told CTVNews.ca that it is taking a close look at the report and will have more to say after reviewing what MPs have recommended.

    IN DEPTH

    Opinion

    opinion

    opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike

    When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.

    CTVNews.ca Top Stories

    BREAKING

    BREAKING

    A search has started at Prairie Green Landfill for the remains of two victims of a serial killer.

    The president and CEO of New Brunswick-based Covered Bridge Potato Chips is taking an 'extended leave of absence' after being charged with domestic violence this past weekend.

    Canada

    • The president and CEO of New Brunswick-based Covered Bridge Potato Chips is taking an 'extended leave of absence' after being charged with domestic violence this past weekend.

    • A man is dead following an RCMP shooting near a hospital in B.C.鈥檚 Okanagan on Tuesday afternoon, prompting an investigation by the province鈥檚 police watchdog.

    • A new report suggests that Canadians' exposure to a radioactive gas is increasing, putting millions of people at a higher risk of developing lung cancer.

    • A memorial is growing outside a Walmart in Halifax after a 19-year-old employee was found dead inside an oven in the store Saturday night.

    • BREAKING

      BREAKING

      A search has started at Prairie Green Landfill for the remains of two victims of a serial killer.

    World

    Politics

    Health

    Sci-Tech

    • A meteor lit up our region's sky last night 鈥 with a large fireball shooting across the horizon over Lake Erie at around 7:00 p.m.

    • The estimated population of North Atlantic right whales increased in 2023, but a group of international marine scientists say human behaviour still poses a significant threat to the critically endangered species.

    Entertainment

    Business

    Lifestyle

    Sports

    Autos

    Local Spotlight

    A meteor lit up our region's sky last night 鈥 with a large fireball shooting across the horizon over Lake Erie at around 7:00 p.m.

    Residents of Ottawa's Rideauview neighbourhood say an aggressive wild turkey has become a problem.

    A man who lost his life while trying to rescue people from floodwaters, and a 13-year-old boy who saved his family from a dog attack, are among the Nova Scotians who received a medal for bravery Tuesday.

    A newly minted Winnipegger is hoping a world record attempt will help bring awareness for the need for more pump track facilities in the city.

    A Springfield, Ont. man is being hailed a 'hero' after running into his burning home to save his two infant children.

    Hortense Anglin was the oldest graduate to make her way across the platform at York University's Fall Convocation ceremony this week. At the age of 87, she graduated with an Honours degree in Religious Studies.

    Looking for a scare with good intentions this Halloween season? The ghosts and ghouls of Eganville, Ont. invite families to tour the Haunted Walk at Lekbor Manor.

    The image of a sleepy Saskatchewan small town with 'not a lot going on' is a well-known anecdote. However, one Saskatchewan company is hoping to change that 鈥 and allow communities both on and off the beaten path to share their stories and advertise what they have to offer.

    A Moncton, N.B., home has been donated to the Friends of The Moncton Hospital Foundation and will be transformed into a resource hub for people living with cancer.

    • A man who fired at least 19 gunshots at an RCMP detachment in northern British Columbia, narrowly missing officers inside, has won a reduced prison sentence from the province's highest court, which ruled the sentencing judge failed to fully weigh the man's mental illness at the time.

    • A man is dead following an RCMP shooting near a hospital in B.C.鈥檚 Okanagan on Tuesday afternoon, prompting an investigation by the province鈥檚 police watchdog.

    • Mounties in Burnaby say a man they identified as a suspect in a string of thefts from a single store in Metrotown has been criminally charged.

    • He is a familiar face to residents of a neighbourhood just west of Roncesvalles Avenue.

    • The federal government says it can鈥檛 wait any longer for Ontario to end encampments in its cities and will offer money directly to municipalities, including Toronto, to fix the problem.

    • The Smith government says it's coming to the defence of Albertans and its regulated professionals who have had their freedom of expression limited and forced into training beyond the scope of their practice.

    • Calgary police say thousands of dollars worth of stolen goods and a loaded shotgun were seized from an encampment in the community of Ogden.

    • Rebecca Marino is moving closer to returning to the Top 100 after winning the Calgary National Bank Challenger tournament Sunday at Osten and Victor Alberta Tennis Centre.

    • A Zamboni driver in western Quebec has been arrested on suspicion of impaired driving after a low-speed crash at a hockey rink on Monday.

    • Popular Kanata restaurant D'Arcy McGee's has suddenly closed its doors. In a post on Facebook Tuesday night, D'Arcy McGee's said, "We will sadly be closing our doors."

    • The Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada is now joining the Canadian Association of Public Employees (CAPE) in calling on the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates to conduct a "thorough investigation.

    • Montreal Mayor Valerie Plante will not be seeking re-election.

    • The number of patients waiting for cancer surgeries recently hit a new high in Quebec and on Wednesday the opposition was accusing the provincial health minister of dodging questions on the issue.

    • The two environmental activists who climbed to the top of the Jacques Cartier Bridge early on Tuesday morning in Montreal have been charged with mischief and resisting or obstructing a peace officer.

    • The Alberta government's recent use of a rarely used measure to intervene in labour disputes is a sign of what's to come, says a labour policy professor.

    • An Edmonton tow truck operator has been charged after police say he refused to release a vehicle to its owner.

    • Edmonton has been named one of the top cities in Lonely Planet鈥檚 "Best in Travel" for 2025.

    • A memorial is growing outside a Walmart in Halifax after a 19-year-old employee was found dead inside an oven in the store Saturday night.

    • The president and CEO of New Brunswick-based Covered Bridge Potato Chips is taking an 'extended leave of absence' after being charged with domestic violence this past weekend.

    • The Nova Scotia government says it plans to reduce the province's harmonized sales tax (HST) rate by one percentage point next year.

    • BREAKING

      BREAKING

      A search has started at Prairie Green Landfill for the remains of two victims of a serial killer.

    • A 59-year-old man has died following a crash involving three vehicles that startED after a tire fell off a car on the Trans-Canada Highway Wednesday morning in the RM of Tache.

    • Police are asking for the public's help finding a 27-year-old inmate who was mistakenly released from custody in Manitoba.

    • Regina police says officers will provide an update Thursday in its search for the suspect of a homicide that took place in the city during the summer of 2023.

    • Saskatchewan RCMP says it doesn't believe that a threat directed at Yorkton Regional High School is credible at this time.

    • Zackary Bellegarde, who faced multiple charges relating to the possession and distribution of child pornography, has pled guilty.

    • Detective Robert Hofstetter examined Erb鈥檚 home after her death and came to several conclusions based on the blood stains he found there.

    • A man is miraculously alive after driving his pickup truck through the fence and down a 150-foot embankment at Hawk Cliff in near Port Stanley, Ont.

    • Court is hearing that a man who stabbed a professor and two students in a University of Waterloo gender studies class last year may have experienced a psychotic break in the weeks before the attack.

    • Saskatoon Public Library workers are in a strike position following the rejection of a tentative agreement with the employer.

    • Candidates across Saskatchewan are making their final pitches to potential voters as the 2024 election campaign is quickly approaching its end.

    • Saskatoon police are investigating after a group of teenagers discharged bear spray on a city bus Tuesday evening.

    • BREAKING

      BREAKING

      A Sudbury jury has found Felicity Altiman guilty of second-degree murder in the December 2020 stabbing death of a Sudbury man.

    • It only took minutes for North Bay pharmacist Brian Chute to be out $1,500 after fraudsters deceptively swapped his bank card with another.

    • Greater Sudbury has ended the employment of CAO Ed Archer, Mayor Paul Lefebvre announced suddenly Tuesday evening

    • A man is miraculously alive after driving his pickup truck through the fence and down a 150-foot embankment at Hawk Cliff in near Port Stanley, Ont.

    • Police said the house is believed to be empty and abandoned and it's not known yet if the driver of the truck is injured.

    • Frustration over long wait times has spurred a doctor to create a new eating disorders clinic in London, Ont. 鈥楾he Harbour鈥 is located inside Western University Research Park.

    • A haunted house in the Town of Innisfil is causing a real scare for some people a week before Halloween.

    • A 34-year-old motorcyclist has died following a collision in Barrie鈥檚 south end on Tuesday.

    • Barrie police conducted a search on Wednesday of the last place Autumn Shaganash was seen in hopes of giving her family some answers to her mysterious disappearance.

    • As hospitals elsewhere in Ontario reintroduce mask mandates due to rising respiratory illnesses, Windsor hospitals are taking a more measured approach.

    • Windsor police are looking to identify four suspects after a pizza delivery driver was allegedly robbed and assaulted.

    • A new mental health and addictions service inventory is launching for those looking for help with mental health and addition in Windsor and Essex County.

    • A man who fired at least 19 gunshots at an RCMP detachment in northern British Columbia, narrowly missing officers inside, has won a reduced prison sentence from the province's highest court, which ruled the sentencing judge failed to fully weigh the man's mental illness at the time.

    • An oil salvage operation is underway on the fragile wreckage of a U.S. army transport ship that sank almost 80 years ago off coastal British Columbia in a race to head off an eruption of thousands of litres of oil that a coast guard official says is "near imminent."

    • Green Leader Sonia Furstenau is set to meet the media for the first time since British Columbia's indecisive election on Saturday, amid speculation about a possible minority government.

    • Dave Lindsey began growing giant pumpkins to bring a bit of magic to his grandkids' Halloween.

    • A U.S. District Court judge in Montana has sentenced a 27-year-old man from Kelowna, B.C., to 18 months in prison for using fake names to buy guns with the aim of selling them in Canada.

    • Nearly two years after a man was stabbed to death in downtown Kelowna, RCMP have made an arrest in the case.

    • A proposed coal mine 鈥 not tourism 鈥 is critical in revitalizing southwestern Alberta communities along the edge of the Rockies, a group in favour of a controversial project maintains.

    • Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says she's waiting for NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi to declare where he intends to run for office before she calls a byelection in Lethbridge.

    • The health of honeybees will be the focus of a presentation at the University of Lethbridge on Wednesday evening.

    • The union representing the fire rangers with the Ministry of Natural Resources says money won鈥檛 fix the systemic problems in the workplace.

    • Rallies by a group called Voices Against Violence took place across the country on Monday, including Sault Ste. Marie.

    • An Indigenous group in northwestern Ontario shut down the highway for a couple of hours Monday morning in protest after ancestral remains were found at a construction site.

    N.L.

    Stay Connected
    Follow 愛污传媒