The passage of emergency legislation has happened, as I mentioned, right across the board provincially—in Ontario, New Brunswick, Saskatchewan—and internationally you're seeing it in New Zealand, Australia and the United Kingdom.
I'll give you a couple of points of comparison in other Westminster parliaments. On March 25, the New Zealand Parliament met with a reduced number of MPs. They received and debated a formal epidemic notice from Prime Minister Ardern, and at that time they passed some COVID response bills.
Australia's House of Representatives last met on April 8, with a reduced proportional number of representatives. The purpose of the sitting was to pass supply and some bills for COVID-19, and then, following the adoption of these measures, the House was adjourned at the call of the Speaker. The Australian Senate met later that day, passed the legislation, and then they, too, adjourned.
What you're seeing—and this won't be a surprise to committee members—is parliaments doing what they do well, which is, in times of crisis, trying to figure out how to adapt to and address matters of public urgency in a timely and effective way. It's a strong tradition in Westminster parliaments.
The public service has also tried to adapt in its interactions with parliamentarians. A good illustration is the daily call with parliamentarians that's led by the Public Health Agency. Since these calls started on March 16, they have become an important conduit for information.
I'll give you just a couple of quick metrics. There have been as many as 226 parliamentarians on that call, with an average attendance of about 141 each day, and there have been 91 MPs and senators who have asked questions. These questions have originated from representatives from every province and two territories. The public service effort to support the call has had about 18 departments and agencies involved.
For those working in the group focused on governance, it won't surprise you to learn that we're very interested in seeing what responses your committee comes up with in response to the motion the House adopted on April 11. The issues you're grappling with are being faced around the world, and the solutions you come up with, frankly, might be of interest to other jurisdictions.
I have just a couple more comments. In order to respond to social distancing, there have been sittings of legislatures with reduced proportional attendance and shortened sessions, often one-day sittings, to deal with emergency legislation. That seems to be the pattern. Legislatures at the provincial level that have adopted these practices include B.C., which met on March 23 to address the crisis and pass supply. Other provinces that have adopted sitting practices consistent with social distancing are New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Ontario and Quebec. Internationally, these practices are seen all over the place in England, France, Germany—the Westminster countries.
The continuation of committee business is another point that seems to be a commonality. Virtual meetings like the one we're having right now seem to be a very common feature of various legislatures. For example, it's the case in Quebec and it's the case in a number of international jurisdictions—Argentina, Spain, France, Luxembourg, the EU, New Zealand and the U.K.
Madam Chair, I think I'll leave it there in the interest of time. I apologize for the sound being wobbly, but I am happy to answer any questions, and I'll leave it at that point.
Thank you.