44th Parl. 1st Sess.
November 25, 2021 10:00AM
- Nov/25/21 6:11:00 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the member for Vaughan—Woodbridge.
I am pleased to speak in favour of this motion. I believe that it sets out a reasonable approach to allow the House to perform all of its regular business while keeping members and all the staff who support us safe during the ongoing pandemic. It is particularly frustrating that all parties in the House were not able to find common ground on a way to adapt our proceedings, given that the last Parliament, for those of us who were not here, appeared to function extremely well.
My riding of Vancouver Granville is the heart of British Columbia's medical infrastructure, with VGH, BC Women's Hospital, BC Children's Hospital, BC Cancer and the BC CDC, and it has also been ground zero for anti-maskers, anti-vaxxers and conspiracy theorists. Earlier today, I spoke with a health care professional from my riding, and they had one message for members of the House: Be an example. Be an example on vaccinations, be an example for wearing masks and, most importantly, be an example on showing people that they should be able to work remotely when possible so as not to spread COVID-19.
I am a new MP, and I have so much enjoyed being here physically with my colleagues this week. However, I also know that I have an obligation to my constituents, and that is to be an example of best practices, which is what this motion seeks to achieve.
There is no doubt that at the onset of COVID-19 in early 2020, changes in institutions and organizations all around the world occurred, whether they were public or private organizations. Universities went online and corporations like the one I ran were able to use technology to hire employees across Canada, not just in a single location.
Now, some have adapted well by leveraging technology to work remotely from home, but unfortunately, many others have not been able to. As members of Parliament, we are fortunate and privileged to work in a resilient institution. This resilience is not an accident. It is the result of the hard work of many generations of Canadians and many generations of parliamentarians who have evolved our rules and procedures to match the times.
This is precisely what the House did during the last Parliament in the face of an unprecedented public health crisis. MPs found creative and innovative ways to debate, transact business and make decisions using a hybrid approach. Most importantly, this allowed members to fulfill all of their duties while staying safe. For those of us not yet here, it appeared to be an example of how things could get done.
Let us take a look at what we were able to achieve in the House during the second session of the 43rd Parliament using the hybrid approach. This was from September 2020 to June 2021, when the House sat with some members in the chamber and many participating remotely. The motion we are debating today largely replicates the approach from that period.
In the second session there was a total of 124 sitting days, during which all of the House's regular categories of business were conducted. There was a total of 185 recorded divisions taken during hybrid means, and over 120 of these were done using the convenient voting app that was in place for March 2021. Today's motion is proposing to reinstate this now tried and tested app. Sixty-nine of these votes were on government bills at various stages of the legislative process, and 19 government bills received royal assent. Indeed, it was an approach like this that allowed the member for Calgary Nose Hill to participate from wherever the member happened to be.
The legislative process is one of the most complicated that we have seen in this place, given the detailed intricate work required for us to scrutinize and debate bills. However, MPs were able to do exactly this in a hybrid Parliament. The legislation that was passed is making a real impact on the lives of Canadians—
Some hon. members: Oh, oh!
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Mr. Speaker, Bill C-4, which was adopted in October 2020, created three new temporary recovery benefits to support Canadians who were unable to work for reasons related to COVID-19. Bill C-9 put in place new targeted supports to help businesses through the pandemic with the emergency rent and wage subsidies. Bill C-12 charted a course for clean growth for generations to come by legislating net-zero emissions by 2050. This is essential to avoid the worst impact of climate change, some of which we have seen in British Columbia, and fully seize the economic opportunities that it presents.
There are concerns that private members' bills may not make their way through the House. The reality is that, in the second session, these were in no way impeded by the hybrid process. There were 46 recorded divisions taken on private members' bills and motions. Six received royal assent, and six of the motions were adopted. Of the private members' bills that were passed, five of the bills were introduced by Conservative members and one by a Bloc Québécois member.
These are just a few examples of bills the House passed by working together, but in a physically distanced way. A total of 28 votes took place on opposition day motions. Of the 24 motions they debated, 16 were adopted. As members are aware, House committees also met in a hybrid format during the second session of the 43rd Parliament. The motion before us today would allow this to continue in the 44th Parliament.
Standing committees also played their important accountability function in our system of responsible government by reviewing government bills and estimates and issuing reports on government policy and actions. All of these functions were carried out in a hybrid format, and would be again under the proposed motion.
There are those who argue that conducting parliamentary business using video conference is too impersonal and that the cut and thrust of good debate is lost. I understand these concerns, particularly as a new MP. However, the reality is that COVID-19 is spreading in our communities, and too many people are still being hospitalized. Case counts are not going down.
Members of Parliament must lead by example. We have the means to be flexible and safe in how we conduct our business, and I believe it behooves us to use them. Technology is not perfect, and there is nothing that replaces in-person engagement, but these are extraordinary times, and we must find ways to adapt and to reflect the realities that we face today. Nothing in the motion that we are debating today would limit members' ability to participate in any parliamentary proceedings, and it would in no way infringe on their privilege.
In fact, this motion would facilitate greater participation in the face of ongoing public health restrictions. Members can imagine a scenario where a member has to isolate at home because of potential exposure to COVID-19. In a hybrid model, that member could still participate in House proceedings.
Canadians did not send us to this place to debate our needs as members of Parliament, and they certainly did not elect us to potentially contract and/or transmit COVID-19 in our home communities. They elected us to address the issues that matter most to them and their families, and the government has an agenda to do just that. I am hoping that all members in the House will work together to pass, before the winter adjournment, the crucial legislation the government has forthcoming.
While Canada has the enviable position of having recovered jobs to a level higher than that at the beginning of the pandemic, there are still sectors that are adversely affected by the pandemic and need support, and the government is bringing forward legislation to provide targeted support to the tourism and hospitality sectors and other hard-hit businesses.
Particularly during a global health crisis, it is vital that federally regulated workers have access to 10 paid sick days, so they do not have to make the difficult choice of whether they should go to work sick or not pay their bills. Frontline workers, many of whom live in Vancouver Granville, always deserve our greatest gratitude, especially during a pandemic. This is why it is so disappointing that there are those who are harassing and threatening frontline workers at their places of work. The government will legislate protections for these vital workers and their facilities.
We are so close to finishing this fight against COVID-19. Indeed, this very week we have further reason to be optimistic. Thanks to the government's efforts, vaccines for children aged five to 11 are arriving across this country. As much as we all want to be done with this pandemic, we now have over a year and a half of experience working within it, and we can draw on this experience during the 44th Parliament.
The second session of the 43rd Parliament showed us that a hybrid Parliament, with members participating in person and online, can produce real results for Canadians. It is the safe and responsible thing to do to keep using this flexible approach. For those of us who were not here, we watched with awe as the House functioned remotely.
I encourage all members to join me in supporting this motion.
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- Nov/25/21 6:21:18 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I am not sure what the question was, but I hear the hon. member's concern. I think the important thing to remember is that this process allows for accountability regardless of where individuals are. It enables people to participate in the activities of the House without endangering their communities, without potentially causing super spreader events and perhaps most importantly. It also ensures that Canadians can see their Parliament function as an example during COVID-19.
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- Nov/25/21 6:23:26 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the answer is no, never, not even once.
The reality is that most Canadians wanted to know that government was functioning and that their parliamentarians were doing their work. That was the question, not where we work.
It is important to remember and note that, while we have heard the concerns of the members opposite, they are also the party that often talks about learning from the private sector and learning best practices. That is what this Parliament has done, and that is what this motion intends to do.
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- Nov/25/21 6:25:08 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, again, I hear my hon. colleague's concerns. I think the reality is that we have an example from the last Parliament of when things can work and when things do work. I do not see anything in this motion that steps into play anything sinister or anything long term. This is a motion to deal with this session of Parliament.
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