‘Modernizing the way that we do our work is not a bad thing’
Members of Parliament remain split over whether to end hybrid sitting rules that let them vote and attend committee meetings remotely, according to a recent report.
The House of Commons adopted a motion in March 2020 allowing its health and finance committees to meet virtually. Four months later, the Commons held its first hybrid sitting, with some members present and others joining by video conference.
Six years on, the practice is routine, with MPs regularly voting from their phones during other activities. At the U.S.-Canada Summit in June, AI Minister Evan Solomon paused a discussion to vote remotely from his phone, according to a report from The Canadian Press (CP).
Thousands of provincial employees have been called back full-time. Federal public servants began a four-day-a-week in-office schedule last month, with executives back full-time since May.
Unions favour hybrid approach
Nathan Prier, president of the Canadian Association of Professional Employees, called it “contradictory” to deny public service workers the flexibility MPs retain, adding that “Parliamentarians have clearly seen the benefits of remote work,”
The Public Service Alliance of Canada argued in favour of the hybrid model, saying flexible arrangements help MPs meet duties in Parliament and their ridings.
The union said “all workers should have access to remote or hybrid work options where operational requirements allow and the work can be performed effectively,” according to the report.
The Professional Institute of the Public Service was more measured, saying “the answer to an arbitrary return-to-office mandate is not necessarily another arbitrary mandate for Parliamentarians,” and that attendance “should be required when it serves the work — not simply for the sake of visibility,” according to the same article.
MPs offer conflicting views
Conservative MP Michael Chong has called to “end hybrid Parliament,” noting Canada is “the only national legislature amongst western Liberal democracies to remain in hybrid mode,” CP reported. The U.K. ended hybrid sittings in 2021; the U.S. House ended proxy voting in 2023.
Meanwhile, Liberal MP Corey Hogan said hybrid sittings let him stay at his father’s bedside during an 11-day ICU stay while continuing his work. Bloc Québécois MP Yves Perron said remote participation should be allowed for family or health reasons but “with approval from the whip,” accoridng to the report.
NDP MP Heather McPherson also defended the model, saying it allows “a more diverse participation in our Parliament,” benefiting “people living with disabilities, people dealing with illness, single parents, people living in remote or rural communities,” CP reported.
