Global Courant
Breadcrumb Trail links
Canadian politics news
Opposition MPs complained that the Liberals were ‘changing the rules of parliament’ without proper debate or the chance to propose amendments
Published June 15, 2023 • read for 3 minutes
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau can be seen on a video conference screen in the House of Commons on October 6, 2020. Since the start of the pandemic in March 2020, the government has made temporary arrangements to allow MPs to carry out their work virtually. Photo by Justin Tang/The Canadian Press/File
Article content
OTTAWA – The House of Commons voted on Thursday night to make their hybrid seats permanent, despite outcry from the opposition who said debate on them was rushed.
Advertisement 2
This ad hasn’t loaded yet, but your article continues below.
THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS
Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.
Exclusive articles from Conrad Black, Barbara Kay, Rex Murphy and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events. Unlimited online access to National Post and 15 news sites with one account. National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that can be viewed, shared, and commented on on any device. Daily puzzles, including the New York Times crossword. Support local journalism.
SUBSCRIBE FOR MORE ARTICLES
Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.
Exclusive articles from Conrad Black, Barbara Kay, Rex Murphy and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events Unlimited online access to National Post and 15 news sites with one account. National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that can be viewed, shared, and commented on on any device. Daily puzzles, including the New York Times crossword. Support local journalism.
REGISTER FOR MORE ARTICLES
Create an account or sign in to continue your reading experience.
Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles every month. Receive email updates from your favorite authors.
Article content
With the support of the NDP, the liberals succeeded in passing a time-sharing motion to limit the discussion about how MPs should conduct their sessions in the House of Representatives from now on. The move came after the proposal was submitted late last week and was only the subject of a few hours of debate.
Since the start of the pandemic in March 2020, the government has had to make temporary arrangements to allow MPs to carry out their work virtually. The current hybrid measures were due to expire at the end of June, so the Liberals decided MPs could continue to participate in debates and committee meetings virtually and vote electronically indefinitely.
Liberal and NDP MPs have praised the hybrid format, saying it helps them find work-life balance or work even when sick. But the Conservatives strongly opposed making those changes permanent, arguing instead that the government should have added an expiration clause to keep the hybrid format in place for the rest of this House.
Article content
Ad 3
This ad hasn’t loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Article content
Speaking on Thursday, Government House leader Mark Holland said he didn’t need more time to hear Conservatives once again express their grievances over the hybrid format.
“They can keep giving that same speech over and over, but it is not a limitation of democracy to hear that speech 10, 20, 30, 40 times. At a certain point, if they say the same thing, the message is heard: they are against it,’ he said during the debate in the House of Representatives.
“Well, I’m sorry… The House is moving forward with this because it’s the right thing to do.”
But MPs from all other parties also expressed frustration that they were not consulted further before finalizing these changes at the 11th hour, before leaving for the summer.
“I have no words,” said Bloc Quebecois MP Gabriel Ste-Marie. We are changing Parliament’s rules without going by consensus or near consensus. We are bulldozing the way of doing things. It goes against the spirit of parliamentarism. It is an embarrassment for democracy.”
Ad 4
This ad hasn’t loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Article content
Green Party MP Mike Morrice said he understood why the government would limit debate because of the “never-ending partisan procedural games” in recent weeks, but said even he hadn’t decided to launch a hybrid in a few weeks. format in the House. to dawn.
“We are in the middle of a debate about the nature of how our parliament functions. It’s not legislation, so there’s not even a chance to propose an amendment; it is already a take it or leave it approach. And on top of that, we are being limited in our debate,” he said.
Even NDP MP Matthew Green, who supported the Liberals’ move to move forward with the hybrid format, gently mocked the government for trying to manage its legislative priorities in the final stretch before the summer, saying it should have made its changes sooner. implement.
Ad 5
This ad hasn’t loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Article content
Holland said hybrid sessions had been studied by a parliamentary committee for months. The Liberal and NDP members recommended keeping the hybrid terms, with a review a year after the next election. The committee also recommended that cabinet ministers appear in person as often as possible during question time and before committees.
That report was published in January. Holland suggested that the government took the time to engage with the NDP, but only received a response a few weeks ago.
On Thursday, members of the Board of Internal Economy – the governing body of the House of Commons – also met to discuss the plight of interpreters, who have suffered numerous hearing injuries due to audio problems with the rise of the hybrid parliament.
Ad 6
This ad hasn’t loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Article content
MPs have learned that no less than 70 committee meetings were canceled last year due to a lack of interpreters – and that 57 hours of committee time have been lost since the April holiday.
Dominic Laporte, chief executive officer of Public Services and Procurement Canada’s Translation Bureau, said current interpreter resources allow for a total of 160 hours of English or French translation. He acknowledged that there are some tough choices to be made when committee meetings are extended due to filibusters or other unexpected events.
However, it seems that most MPs are now using their headsets correctly after years of practice, and recent interpreter injuries have been related to face-to-face meetings.
– With additional reporting from Ryan Tumilty
Federal government introduces law ‘just transition’ sustainable jobs
Mendicino dodges questions about why he was kept in the dark about Bernardo’s transfer
Article content
Share this article on your social network
Comments
Postmedia is committed to maintaining a vibrant yet civilized forum for discussion and encourages all readers to share their thoughts on our articles. It can take up to an hour for comments to appear on the site. We ask that you keep your comments relevant and respectful. We’ve enabled email notifications: you will now receive an email when you receive a reply to your comment, when there’s an update to a comment thread you follow, or when a user you follow makes a comment. For more information and details on customizing your email settings, visit our Community Guidelines.
