Monday, July 6, 2026
ADVT 
National

Parties agree on hybrid Commons sittings

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 23 Sep, 2020 08:04 PM
  • Parties agree on hybrid Commons sittings

The House of Commons will sit this fall with most MPs participating by video link so they can stay physically apart during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Government House leader Pablo Rodriguez introduced a motion to set the rules for "hybrid" sittings as the Commons sat for the first time in months Wednesday afternoon.

Those include having MPs vote via video conference until a secure remote voting application for smartphones is ready, and reducing the number of members who have to be physically present for quorum.

The plan also includes reconstituting committees such as a special body examining Canada-China relations.

The Conservatives had argued for in-person sittings only, with limited numbers of MPs in the chamber, and had opposed electronic voting.

But the MPs present Wednesday, including Tories, approved the plan unanimously.

The arrangement is to stay in place until Dec. 11, though MPs could vote to extend it then.

MORE National ARTICLES

Morneau repays $41K to WE, faces resignation calls

Morneau repays $41K to WE, faces resignation calls
Finance Minister Bill Morneau faced calls for his resignation Wednesday after revealing he had just repaid over $41,000 in travel charges to WE Charity — an organization MPs heard had multiple contacts with his office while the government planned its $900-million student-volunteer program.

Morneau repays $41K to WE, faces resignation calls

Aid for care homes needed ahead of next wave

Aid for care homes needed ahead of next wave
With an uptick in new cases of COVID-19 in Canada sparking concerns about a second wave of the illness, advocates for seniors in long-term care say more federal support must start flowing immediately to ensure elders do not again become the primary casualties.

Aid for care homes needed ahead of next wave

Calgary man facing terrorism-related charges

Calgary man facing terrorism-related charges
RCMP have laid terrorism-related charges against a Calgary man following what they say was an extensive and complex seven-year investigation.

Calgary man facing terrorism-related charges

Service puppies put through their paces on transit

Service puppies put through their paces on transit
It appears that even service puppies can't escape the changes of the pandemic. Bill Thornton, the CEO of BC & Alberta Guide Dogs, says the new recruits are far behind on their transit training schedule because of COVID-19.

Service puppies put through their paces on transit

Legal action launched against B.C.'s wolf cull

Legal action launched against B.C.'s wolf cull
A British Columbia environmental group has launched a legal petition alleging the provincial government's wolf kill to save caribou is breaking federal and provincial laws.

Legal action launched against B.C.'s wolf cull

Court strikes down Canada-U.S. refugee pact

Court strikes down Canada-U.S. refugee pact
A federal judge has struck down a key agreement on refugees between Canada and the United States, but gave Ottawa six months of breathing room to respond to the landmark decision.

Court strikes down Canada-U.S. refugee pact