The Liberals were able to count on the support of the New Democrats to force the return of the hybrid form to parliamentary business.
On Thursday morning, the House adopted a closure motion, ensuring a vote before the end of the day to pass the government motion that will allow elected officials, until June 2022, to participate either in person or via screens, in the debates in Commons and parliamentary committees.
The Bloc Québécois and Conservatives had been struggling, since the day before, to denounce what they saw as a Liberal plan to escape, by not being obliged to appear in Ottawa in person.
“There, we discuss ‘are you going to sit?’, ‘Are we not going to sit?’, With the complicity of the Liberal Party school club, when we should be here, sorting out the problems , meet the ministers now! ”, Shouted at the top of his lungs the Bloc Québécois MP Denis Trudel, in the House.
“With a hybrid system, it is possible to stay here, in the Chamber […] every day if the member wants it, ”replied Mark Holland, Government House Leader. “I have already explained that the ministers will be here, in person, to answer questions. So I ask again, what is the problem? Added Mr. Holland.
Blockers and conservatives present
That did not convince Conservative MP Michelle Rempel Garner. “The Prime Minister does not want to show up to work because, frankly, I think they are afraid of being held to account,” she said when the debate resumed.
“Why should we keep the possibility of a hybrid Parliament? It’s because we’re in the fourth wave. This is because in Quebec, the number of cases has dropped from 400 per day to 900 per day, roughly. Because Quebec society has adapted and teleworking is part of our lives now, ”argued, for his part, NDP MP Alexandre Boulerice.
Mr. Boulerice criticizes the Bloc for siding with the Conservatives in this quarrel.
Yves-François Blanchet has been promising for weeks that, hybrid format or not, the 32 Bloc members will all be there, in person, every day that Parliament sits.
Thursday afternoon, the Conservative leader made the same commitment. “Absolutely, all of our MPs are going to be here, in the House, for our work,” Erin O’Toole said at a press briefing.
Verification of medical exemptions
By adopting the motion on Thursday evening to return to the hybrid format, the House will also have imposed the cross-verification of medical exemptions for the still unknown number of unvaccinated Conservative MPs.
The Bloc Québécois supported this portion of the motion. Only the Conservatives are opposed to the new rule, which they say violates their right to privacy.
The Conservatives raised a question of privilege on Tuesday evening, which the Speaker of the House took under advisement, in order to completely do away with the vaccination rule for access to parliamentary buildings. They would like a negative COVID-19 test to allow elected officials to enter Parliament.