The Story of the Virtual Parliament.

• Date: 22 March 2021
• Author: Rota, Anthony

As it became apparent in March 2020 that the COVID-19 pandemic would significantly disrupt many aspects of Canadian life, the MPs and the House of Commons Administration began to discuss how parliamentary business could continue in these exceptional circumstances. In this article, the author, Speaker of the House of Commons Anthony Rota, explains how the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs (PROC) met to determine how to resume parliamentary sittings in a way that would respect health and safety protocols while maintaining their parliamentary rights and privileges. He notes that longstanding relationships within the House of Commons Administration were key to facilitating a shift to hybrid virtual sittings in a timely manner. By learning from the experiences of other parliaments and drawing on technical infrastructure that had been built over several years, the House of Commons Administration helped make the seemingly impossible possible. The author concludes by noting that the Members have drawn on the modernity and nimbleness of the Administration to transform the way they fulfil their parliamentary responsibilities during the pandemic while honouring the history and tradition of the House of Commons.

Hon. Anthony Rota

On March 13, 2020, in response to the COVID-19 outbreak in Canada, the House of Commons unanimously adopted a motion that adjourned its scheduled sittings until April 20, 2020.

The nation went into lockdown, and our lives came to a standstill. It quickly became apparent that the disruption to the regular proceedings of the House would not be short-lived. Behind the scenes, the House of Commons Administration was already talking with Members of Parliament to find some way for them to once again come together, and also to reach out to their constituents.

On March 24, the House was recalled and empowered two standing committees, Health and Finance to meet by teleconference or videoconference to receive evidence in relation to COVID-19.

On April 11 the House of Commons was recalled again to add (among others) the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs (PROC) to the list of committees allowed to meet. PROC was instructed to study ways in which Members could fulfill their parliamentary duties while the House stood adjourned.

The recall of the House was something that had only happened 12 times since Confederation.

It would be recalled six times through the summer to pass emergency legislation to support Canadians during lockdown until Parliament was prorogued on August 18.

PROC began its study and, over the next month, held nine meetings and heard from 38 witnesses, myself included. In my capacity as Chief Administrative Officer, I appeared before the Committee four times to inform its discussions and decision-making.

During my appearances, I reaffirmed that the House Administration remained committed to providing all necessary operational support for members to sit and hold meetings in a format of their choosing and in a way that would respect health and safety protocols while maintaining their parliamentary rights and privileges.

There were principles I felt important for the Committee to keep in mind as they weighed the various options for enabling Parliament to sit.

* Any model would have to uphold the rights, immunities and privileges of the House and its Members.

* It was essential for simultaneous interpretation in both English and French to be available to Members.

* All Members would have to be able to participate.

* Any changes to the House's rules and practices (Standing Orders) would have to be made in a manner that ensured the legal validity of the proceedings.

*...