After three years of parliamentary sessions in hybrid mode, Justin Trudeau’s government wants to make the formula permanent in the Commons. The overhaul brought in during the pandemic should be here to stay, say the Liberals, who believe MPs too should be able to work virtually on occasion.
“It should send the message that anyone can run to sit in the People’s House,” argued the Leader of the Government in the Commons, Mark Holland.
Federal elected officials are expected to work in Ottawa 26 weeks a year and to stay away from home 140 nights out of 365, said Mr. Holland. However, these members may fall ill, have to take care of a loved one who becomes sick or have family obligations.
“I think this change will fundamentally change who in society considers serving the public. And change the way those who are privileged to serve meet the needs of Canadians in Parliament while fulfilling their responsibilities to their communities and families,” he argued, announcing that his government will table a motion next week to make permanent the current hybrid mode of operation of the Lower House – which allows elected officials to participate in debates and vote virtually.
The change is guaranteed to be permanent, since the New Democratic Party will support it.
A shared support
The Bloc leader, Yves-François Blanchet, is not against the idea. Virtual voting, for example, is “useful” in his opinion. “We do not entirely reject the hypothesis that a form of hybrid parliament will be maintained”, he indicated, while expressing two reservations.
The Bloc wants to ensure that a virtual Parliament “does not weaken the accountability” of the government, by allowing ministers to be absent too often rather than being in the House to answer questions from the opposition. Mr. Blanchet also wants the hybrid mode to be reviewed regularly. The sovereignist party will try to convince the government to amend its proposal accordingly.
The Conservative Party, for its part, is fiercely opposed to it. Commons leader Andrew Scheer accused Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of avoiding accountability “every chance he gets.” “He prefers to be on vacation,” Mr. Scheer alleged in a written statement. It is therefore not surprising that he constantly gives himself the possibility of taking everything lightly. »
MP Gérard Deltell, however, was more nuanced. “The hybrid system is practical for sure, but you shouldn’t rely on it on a daily basis. Only in exceptional situations if we cannot be present, ”he commented, unlike the pharmacies of his party.
Conciliation or accountability?
University of Waterloo political science professor Emmett Macfarlane shares the concerns of the Bloc Québécois. The Parliament should only be hybrid in certain circumstances according to him: for the votes, then for the debates when the work is in intensive period and sits for long hours a day or several weeks at a time. Otherwise, facilities should be offered, for young families, for example.
“People underestimate the amount of stuff that happens in person, outside of the Chamber,” he tweeted Thursday. “A permanent hybrid situation will make MPs less efficient, collaboration rarer, and runs the risk of giving party leaders even more control [sur leurs troupes] than historically — if that is even possible. »
Mark Holland is however categorical: the Parliament must be more conciliatory for the deputies. He himself saw his marriage crumble during his first term (2004-2011). He also saw his colleague and friend, the late Arnold Chan, come to work in the Commons in the last weeks of his life when he was suffering from cancer.
In Quebec, the National Assembly has never sat in hybrid mode, even during the pandemic when elected officials simply met with reduced numbers.
The federal government last spring required its officials to return to work in person at least two to three days a week. Mr. Holland rejected the comparison between civil servants and MPs. “It’s not equivalent to comparing someone who has to drive 30 minutes to work and [des élus qui] in some cases have to travel thousands of kilometres,” he retorted.
The government therefore wants the changes to be adopted by the summer break, since otherwise the current temporary hybrid mode will expire with the end of the parliamentary session on June 23.
“We won’t leave Parliament until this is passed,” Holland said.
The debate is due to start next week.