Tuesday, July 7, 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

Lawsuit alleges illegal prison strip searches

Lawsuit alleges illegal prison strip searches
A proposed class-action lawsuit alleges authorities illegally strip searched Canadian federal prison inmates hundreds of thousands of times over almost three decades.

Lawsuit alleges illegal prison strip searches

Lac-Megantic marks 7th anniversary of rail disaster

Lac-Megantic marks 7th anniversary of rail disaster
Lac-Megantic will today mark the seventh anniversary of a tragic rail disaster by inaugurating a long-planned memorial space.

Lac-Megantic marks 7th anniversary of rail disaster

Two motorcyclists die in separate B.C. crashes

Two motorcyclists die in separate B.C. crashes
Separate crashes less than 48 hours apart have killed two motorcyclists and injured five other people on Highway 99 near Pemberton, B.C.

Two motorcyclists die in separate B.C. crashes

Two teenage boys 14 and 15 arrested and charged with first degree murder in a chain of unrelated shootings in Winnipeg

Two teenage boys 14 and 15 arrested and charged with first degree murder in a chain of unrelated shootings in Winnipeg
Some tragic news out of Winnipeg with a crime unimaginable and unfathomable. A chain of unrelated shootings in Winnipeg has left one woman dead and many others wounded this week and has resulted in the arrest of two teenage boys by police.

Two teenage boys 14 and 15 arrested and charged with first degree murder in a chain of unrelated shootings in Winnipeg

Burnaby resident David O'Brien surely has luck on his side winning the 6/49 lotto twice in a gap of 4 years

Burnaby resident David O'Brien surely has luck on his side winning the 6/49 lotto twice in a gap of 4 years
This is one inexplicable phenomenon. Talk about hitting the jackpot not once but twice. David O'Brien is one lucky guy. The Burnaby resident has won a $ 1 million dollar prize matching all six numbers playing Lotto 6/49 on June 20th. Prior to him claiming the winning ticket last month, on May 4, 2016, David O'Brien won a $5-million prize after matching all six numbers playing Lotto 6/49.

Burnaby resident David O'Brien surely has luck on his side winning the 6/49 lotto twice in a gap of 4 years

Greater Vancouver home sales start to tick up

Greater Vancouver home sales start to tick up
Home sales in the Greater Vancouver area are starting to return to more typical levels after dipping to four-decade lows in April, while prices continue to edge up from 2019.

Greater Vancouver home sales start to tick up