Procedure and House Affairs Committee on June 2nd, 2020

[Anthony Rota, Liberal, Nipissing—Timiskaming, ON]

Yes, that's something that has come up and it's something to consider and it will be up to the House to decide what it would like to do with that.

When we look at it, we see that in a hybrid system members can call a point of order or call for attention to raise a point. It can be done by voice, so they unmute and state a point of order or state that they have something to say. The other way is if they want to stand to speak on a topic, there are applications where they can raise their hand and it does appear on a list for the sitting Speaker, which I believe would be probably just as good—I won't say better, but it's there and it's on a list and it's in your face.

I know in the House, when you're sitting, your peripheral view sometimes is not as good as your direct view. By having the list, everyone who raises her or his hand is on that list or is basically visible to everyone. This is opposed to being in the House where there are people sitting on the side who might be missed when they rise to speak. There are pros and cons to both ways of doing it.

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

At the end of the day, the point is that it has to be worked out that members have the right to seek the eye of the chair, not just for points of order, but also to be able to speak. It seems like we're in agreement on that principle.

[Anthony Rota, Liberal, Nipissing—Timiskaming, ON]

Most definitely. That is a key part of being a member of Parliament.

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

Let me shift to another topic before we wrap up.

You've been Speaker for this Parliament and you were a chair occupant in the last Parliament. My sense is that even when Parliament is sitting physically, the chamber is relatively empty for the vast majority of the time. It seems to me that there isn't really a problem with having a physical Parliament for the vast majority of the time. It's really the question of what happens during question period, for example, and what happens during votes. We could have a regular physical Parliament with 40 members there, because that's frankly the normal thing in Parliament.

Connected to that, I wonder if, for expanding space, the visitors' gallery could be turned into part of the chamber. Could members speak from the visitors' gallery? Could we turn the visitors' gallery into part of the chamber to facilitate greater spacing?

[Anthony Rota, Liberal, Nipissing—Timiskaming, ON]

Everything is possible. It depends on what members decide on and different possibilities. It really does depend on the House.

When we talk about presence in the House, a lot of the time when debate is happening, the House is not full; it's mainly during question period or when votes take place. One of the things that concerns me about saying “okay, you're only allowed 40” is parliamentary privilege, which you brought up earlier. Who determines who that 40 is?

When I send out an invitation or a recall of the House, it is to everyone. It's not up to the Speaker or any rules to determine who doesn't show up or who can or can't show up. That would be one of my main concerns.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ruby Sahota]

Thank you so much.

Next up we have Dr. Duncan for five minutes.

[Kirsty Duncan, Liberal, Etobicoke North, ON]

Thank you, Madam Chair, and thank you so much, Mr. Speaker, for joining us today. I too would like to thank you and your colleagues for all the work that has been done on our behalf.

I'm wondering whether you would be willing to table with our committee all jurisdictions that have adapted their procedures and practices to have hybrid sittings during the COVID-19 pandemic.

[Anthony Rota, Liberal, Nipissing—Timiskaming, ON]

I've instructed our Clerk and the administration to co-operate fully with PROC. Whatever you need, I'm sure they'll be able to work with you and make it available.

[Kirsty Duncan, Liberal, Etobicoke North, ON]

Thank you so much, Mr. Speaker.

Could you list all parts of a sitting day that are now included in the hybrid sittings, please? Just list them, please.

[Anthony Rota, Liberal, Nipissing—Timiskaming, ON]

Okay. We start off with ministerial statements. Then we go to petitions. Then we have declarations and then statements to ministers. We have taken four steps. Again, it's incremental. We started with three, originally, and now we've added some. Depending on what the House decides, we could extend it even further.

[Kirsty Duncan, Liberal, Etobicoke North, ON]

Do you know how many committees are up and running now, please?

[Anthony Rota, Liberal, Nipissing—Timiskaming, ON]

There are seven committees.... It's nine. We're up to nine now.

I'm sorry. We have tabling of documents as well. That has been added recently to the House sitting.

There are nine committees that are sitting virtually. It seems to be working fairly well, as is this one.

[Kirsty Duncan, Liberal, Etobicoke North, ON]

Thank you so much.

Are you able to tell me how many parliaments are using virtual or remote voting, please?

[Anthony Rota, Liberal, Nipissing—Timiskaming, ON]

I'll have to defer to the Clerk. We don't have an exact number right now.

[Kirsty Duncan, Liberal, Etobicoke North, ON]

Would you be willing to have that tabled with the committee, please?

[Anthony Rota, Liberal, Nipissing—Timiskaming, ON]

We'll make sure that comes to the committee with the information right away, yes.

[Kirsty Duncan, Liberal, Etobicoke North, ON]

Thank you.

You said during your opening statement that we're ready for virtual voting. Can you outline the reasons why you believe that we are ready for virtual or remote voting, please?

[Anthony Rota, Liberal, Nipissing—Timiskaming, ON]

Okay. What I'm saying is that we're technically ready for virtual voting and in a hybrid situation. The technology is in place. It has been tested in other places. After seeing what is there, it really comes down to the comfort level that individuals are ready to live with.

I know that with what I've seen so far I don't see a problem with a public vote or an open vote. If on division people are making their voices heard, then you can check what has been registered. I still have certain reservations about a secret ballot, because once it's in there, if something is tampered with, there is no way of checking it, whereas on a vote that's open, you can check on it right away and confirm that it is what you voted—

[Kirsty Duncan, Liberal, Etobicoke North, ON]

Could I jump in there? Can you tell me in what areas this has already been tested, please?

[Anthony Rota, Liberal, Nipissing—Timiskaming, ON]

Do you mean in which countries?

[Kirsty Duncan, Liberal, Etobicoke North, ON]

Yes, please.

[Anthony Rota, Liberal, Nipissing—Timiskaming, ON]

They've tested it in the U.K. It seems to have gone well.

[Kirsty Duncan, Liberal, Etobicoke North, ON]

Perhaps you could also table with the committee the results of that testing from the U.K.

Could I ask about accessibility? I know that was an area that you were concerned about and that you said we have addressed. Have we addressed all challenges with accessibility, please?

[Anthony Rota, Liberal, Nipissing—Timiskaming, ON]

Yes, all access with accessibility is there. If anything has to be done, whether a member needs special adaptations.... Let's say they have a visual impairment, or anything else that is in the way. It can be adapted. Basically, it's going on the standing order, which allows the Speaker to accommodate for anyone with a disability, whether it's a wheelchair or whether it's visual. You can adapt to make sure that accessibility is there for everyone.

[Kirsty Duncan, Liberal, Etobicoke North, ON]

Thank you so much, Mr. Speaker.

I believe that's my time.