{"id":733,"date":"2022-12-02T18:05:07","date_gmt":"2022-12-02T23:05:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/reloading\/?p=733"},"modified":"2022-12-02T18:05:08","modified_gmt":"2022-12-02T23:05:08","slug":"hybrid-on-the-hill-mps-senators-debate-merits-of-virtual-participation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/reloading\/2022\/12\/02\/hybrid-on-the-hill-mps-senators-debate-merits-of-virtual-participation\/","title":{"rendered":"Hybrid on the Hill: MPs, Senators debate merits of virtual participation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>By: Simon Hopkins<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">When the COVID-19 pandemic brought the world to a standstill in the spring of 2020, MPs and senators left their distinguished chambers in downtown Ottawa to work from home offices and spare bedrooms, just as millions of Canadians did while the unprecedented public health crisis unfolded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The transition online was challenging for many as parliament was thrust into uncharted waters that broke from more than 150 years of tradition. Most parliamentarians were given a computer and headset but had no experience with Zoom, the now-ubiquitous online platform parliament chose to use to conduct hybrid sittings and committee meetings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe attempted to find a way for parliament to continue to do its business and to make sure that \u2026 Canadians knew the seat of their democracy continued to function,\u201d Government House Leader Mark Holland said in a speech in June, as he looked back on the early days of the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Parliamentarians weigh benefits of hybrid parliament\" width=\"735\" height=\"413\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/voCmGRYReK4?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>In both chambers, the hybrid model allowed most parliamentarians to join sittings virtually, with some physically present in Ottawa.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At the height of the pandemic, they debated legislation somewhat normally. However, the most substantial adjustment to regular proceedings was a change to how they voted. They were unable to stand to indicate their vote, and yelling \u201cyay\u201d or \u201cnay\u201d into a Zoom call was chaotic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Senators held flashcards to their cameras to indicate their votes. Meanwhile, the House of Commons developed a secure voting app that allowed members to click yes or no from anywhere in Canada.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>More than two years on, both chambers revisited the decision by debating whether to extend the motions allowing virtual attendance in a hybrid parliament. Senators chose to ditch the hybrid option and have sat fully in person since September, the substantially larger House of Commons extended its motion for hybrid parliament to June 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What happens beyond that date remains to be seen. While some parliamentarians argue aspects of the new hybrid model should remain in place, regardless of the pandemic, detractors say it makes parliament less effective and efficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/reloading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Hopkins-Graph-1024x576.png\" alt=\"A graph displaying the sitting days in Parliament from 2014-2021\" class=\"wp-image-742\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/reloading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Hopkins-Graph-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/reloading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Hopkins-Graph-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/reloading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Hopkins-Graph-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/reloading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Hopkins-Graph-1536x864.png 1536w, https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/reloading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Hopkins-Graph.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The productivity of parliament varies from year to year. Parliament faced COVID-19 as well as two elections and a prorogation between 2019-2021. Source: parl.ca (Simon Hopkins\/ Reloading News)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Back in June, when Holland presented the motion in the House to continue with hybrid sittings for another year, he said the virtual option would continue to allow members of parliament to participate when they were unable to attend in-person.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cLast week, there were five members of the Liberal caucus who had COVID, and one of these people was the<a href=\"http:\/\/apps.ourcommons.ca\/ParlDataWidgets\/en\/aff\/214296\/2022-06-22\"> Prime Minister<\/a>,\u201d he said. \u201cAll were still able to participate in these proceedings.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But some pushed back, saying it was time for all MPs to return to the Hill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe reality is that public health agencies \u2026 have limited the restrictions,\u201d said John Brassard, a Conservative MP from Ontario. \u201cEverything is opening up. Everything except parliament \u2026 the world is moving on from COVID.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The vote was tight, but the NDP sided with the government and ultimately pushed it through with 177 votes to 144.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The House of Commons committee that studies the day-to-day business of house procedures is currently studying hybrid sittings to produce a report that will help inform future decisions. It has&nbsp; heard testimony since October from many MPs, as well as technical experts, support staff and officers from foreign parliaments.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The committee met privately this week to discuss the draft of the report it will present to the House of Commons later this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The first witness to testify at the committee was Speaker of the House Anthony Rota. With public health measures lifted in all parts of the country, he said in his<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ourcommons.ca\/DocumentViewer\/en\/44-1\/PROC\/meeting-31\/evidence\"> <\/a>speech that it is \u201cworthwhile to reflect on what parts, if any, of hybrid proceedings the House may wish to retain.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Rota noted multiple considerations when discussing hybrid sittings, including dress code, video call backgrounds and connectivity issues. He also acknowledged the initial constraints that limited the number of committee meetings held throughout the pandemic due to technical limitations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe availability of interpretation services has had a particular impact on committees,\u201d Rota said. \u201c[Committees] had to adapt their meeting times because of resourcing constraints and to facilitate the participation of members across multiple time zones.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He applauded the House\u2019s information technology staff who have implemented parliament\u2019s investment, which allowed for higher-quality video conferencing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>NDP MP Carol Hughes, who represents a large riding in northern Ontario, told the committee that a hybrid parliament had benefits beyond protecting against COVID-19 transmission. A hybrid option would allow parliamentarians to continue serving while unable to travel to Ottawa for a variety of reasons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhether it\u2019s the death of a loved one, injury, illness or flights \u2026 we should still be able to participate no matter what,\u201d Hughes said. \u201cI went to Mongolia a few years back and they were further ahead than we were with voting.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Other MPs argued that working from home would give them more time to interact with their constituents. Liberal Yvonne Jones from Labrador said she often doesn\u2019t fly home on weekends like most parliamentarians because it\u2019s too difficult of a journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Despite those arguments, Conservatives said MPs could perpetually stay at home in their ridings to give themselves an edge.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cTo use the voting app and hybrid model as an excuse to perpetually electioneer in their ridings to effectively build their brand was always a concern,\u201d Brassard said during a speech in the House.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The debate over changing the way an institution as historic as parliament operates has benefits beyond preventing the spread of a virus such as COVID-19.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>MPs, including former environment minister Catherine McKenna, Holland and B.C. NDP MP Laurel Collins \u2013 who last year gave a speech in the House with her daughter Alora in her arms \u2013 have called for parliament to be more family friendly in order to attract more people, especially women, to run.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cFrom door to door, our commute is about 10 hours \u2026 travelling back and forth with a seven-month-old is not easy,\u201d she told the House in 2021.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhen I hear MPs in this debate say that those who want a hybrid Parliament want it because we do not want to come to work \u2026 I want a hybrid Parliament so that when my daughter gets sick and I am stuck in Victoria, I can still participate. I want a hybrid Parliament so that pregnant MPs have the choice to keep working,\u201d Collins said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Alora joined me for the debate on whether MPs should have the option to work virtually during the pandemic. <br><br>It passed! Which means that I&#39;ll be able to still work even if I\u2019m stuck in Victoria, unable to board a plane because she\u2019s caught a mild cold or has a teething fever. \/1 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/2P8AD4uN5b\">pic.twitter.com\/2P8AD4uN5b<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Laurel Collins (@Laurel_BC) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Laurel_BC\/status\/1464244260891467780?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">November 26, 2021<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Winnipeg MP Kevin Lamoureux, who serves as Holland\u2019s parliamentary secretary, says he also wants parliament to retain some of the digital elements it has adopted in recent years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve long believed we need to modernize the House of Commons,\u201d he said in an interview Thursday. \u201cWe have to maintain the voting application,\u201d he said, explaining it allows for more engaged and productive MPs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe old archaic way of voting is incredibly time-consuming,\u201d he said. \u201cThe voting application is really more transforming than anything else.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Opinions in the Senate were similarly diverse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Quebec Sen. Leo Housakos said things have improved with the return of entirely in-person sittings. \u201cYou can tell that we\u2019re back to dealing with the agenda in a more intensive way,\u201d he said in an interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>During the hybrid sittings, Housakos said senators could not conduct their work as well as they should. He described the hybrid Senate as \u201cless efficient and less effective.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Hybrid parliament allowed the government to pass hundreds of billions of dollars of spending \u201cunder the guise of COVID aid\u201d without proper review, he said.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe would reconvene the Senate just to pass supply bills because we were all terrified of passing germs around,\u201d he said. \u201cCommittees did not have the ample time to study those supply bills.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Nova Scotia Sen. Colin Deacon, who sits with the Independent Senators Group, acknowledged some aspects of hybrid parliament were poorly implemented. But that doesn\u2019t mean it should all be scrapped.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Allowing witnesses to testify to committees remotely can save money and help the Senate fight against climate change, Deacon said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He hopes lessons learned from the last two years will inform how the Senate does business in the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cCan we learn from the experience over the two years?\u201d he asked. \u201cHow we do that is open for debate, but whether we do that should not be.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Parliament was forced to go digital during the pandemic, and now, parliamentarians from both chambers are now weighing if there are digital elements they would like to keep moving forward.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":736,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_FSMCFIC_featured_image_caption":"Prime Minister Justin Trudeau participates in a virtual meeting. Supporters of virtual attendance to parliament say it allows parliamentarians to engage in their duties when not physically present. Critics say it stifles camaraderie and makes parliament less effective. (Justin Trudeau \/ Twitter)","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_nocaption":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_hide":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6,1],"tags":[9,97,20],"ppma_author":[15],"class_list":["post-733","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-features","category-home","tag-ottawa","tag-parliament","tag-politics"],"authors":[{"term_id":15,"user_id":3,"is_guest":0,"slug":"simonhopkins","display_name":"Simon Hopkins","avatar_url":{"url":"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/reloading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/IMG_20221115_124855_305-1-scaled-e1668556417724.jpg","url2x":"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/reloading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/IMG_20221115_124855_305-1-scaled-e1668556417724.jpg"},"user_url":"","last_name":"Hopkins","first_name":"Simon","description":"Simon is an Ottawa based journalist with an interest in parliamentary affairs, passionate about sharing understanding on the Canadian legislative process. In 2021, he discovered a love for writing and journalism and has taken on a new challenge this fall beginning graduate studies in journalism. Simon\u2019s new normal involves late nights making TikToks about parliamentary proceedings."}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/reloading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/733","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/reloading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/reloading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/reloading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/reloading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=733"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/reloading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/733\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":796,"href":"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/reloading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/733\/revisions\/796"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/reloading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/736"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/reloading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=733"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/reloading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=733"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/reloading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=733"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/reloading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=733"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}