PROC Committee Report

Supplementary opinion of the New Democratic Party of Canada

In these times of COVID-19, how parliament will work is important and a focus of all Canadians. For this report, the NDP agrees with most of the recommendations included herein but feels that there are a few points that merit mentioning.

During the committee’s deliberations there were assertions that current attempts to move the House of Commons to hybrid proceedings have been successful, and the NDP believes that a declaration of success should only be made in hindsight as there are still issues, both technological and procedural, that need to be resolved.

The NDP was glad that the committee agreed with the NDP’s stance that any and all new methods of decision-making for use during the pandemic should be thoroughly tested. It was clear from the outset that some committee members had decided on the result before any testing with members of Parliament had even taken place. This new position by members of the committee will help the House of Commons avoid a situation of implementing technology before it is ready to do so and allows members to explore, experience and understand each potential decision-making solution and make suggestions for improvements as well as choose the best option while having a backup in place in the event of a failure of any preferred solution.

Finally, the NDP believes that the scope of this report wavered beyond its boundaries. The committee was tasked with finding solutions for remote participation of members specifically related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Some recommendations were outside of those lines, and while the NDP doesn’t disagree with the idea of exploring other options and preparing for the future, it does not consider those to be part of the work the committee was asked to do by the House of Commons.