The Bloc Québécois finds it very hard to digest that the Liberal government is “imposing” new operating rules for the federal Parliament, and announces that it too is opposed to the hybrid formula invented during the COVID-19 pandemic which allows MNAs to sit from a distance.
“I don’t want to say that we are falling into a dictatorship. But the idea that a government can change the rules as it sees fit, that can be worrying for a citizen, ”drops the parliamentary leader of the Bloc Québécois, Alain Therrien, in an interview on Thursday.
Democracy, he adds, means “respecting the fundamental rules that are wanted by everyone”. However, he assures that his proposals were ignored by the Liberal government in its project to make the hybrid formula permanent in Parliament. A motion to this effect must be voted on Thursday evening.
Its passage is guaranteed thanks to the support of the New Democratic Party (NDP). Without the support of the two other main parties represented in Ottawa, the project no longer has any legitimacy, Mr. Therrien decided.
” It means that [si] tomorrow morning the Conservatives take power, with a majority, they can change the rules of Parliament! [Pourtant], Parliament has functioned for 155 years like this. I think we’re good at doing our job. »
The right to be absent from Ottawa
His Liberal Party of Canada counterpart, Mark Holland, explained last week the government’s plan to make the job of MP more accessible, such as to young families, people suffering from an illness or needing to take care of from a loved one. According to the motion presented, elected officials will be able to sit and vote remotely, except for the chairs of parliamentary committees, who will have to travel in person to Ottawa.
The Conservatives immediately expressed their hostility to the idea, while the Bloc Québécois said on the contrary that it was open to it. The third party in the Commons, however, had the condition of reserving remote access for exceptional cases, what the leader Alain Therrien calls a “friendly control” of the right to be absent from the federal capital.
Inside the party offices on the fourth floor of Parliament’s West Block, the Bloc House Leader says how happy he is to be able to speak in person with the representative of the Dutyand not by phone, as was customary during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Me, when I go to see a minister for a file in my riding, sometimes by telephone, it is difficult, whereas here, I cross the House and he is there, he illustrates. It’s accountability, too. When a minister is not in the House, it is easier not to answer questions. »
French question
Mr. Therrien even argues that French would be more abused in Ottawa if the hybrid formula of Parliament were to continue, since complications with interpreters are more frequent remotely than in person. Francophones could thus have to communicate more often in English.
The interpreters of the Federal Parliament, who provide simultaneous translation of the debates, complain of paying the price for the virtual exchanges made possible by the hybrid formula. They even make it a workplace safety issue.
“At the same time, it’s a bit hypocritical on the part of the Conservatives and the Bloc to want to prevent this work-family balance, which is necessary for MPs, in particular [ceux] who are young parents, ”replied the deputy leader of the NDP, Alexandre Boulerice, Thursday.
He even accuses MPs from the Bloc and the Conservative Party of having physically absented themselves from Ottawa more often than those from other political parties since they were allowed to do so.
The office of the leader of the government, Mark Holland, says a parliamentary committee that includes members from each party has recommended the continuation of the hybrid mode of operation of Parliament. According to the procedure, the vote on this question requires only a simple majority.