Leader of the Government in the House of Commons Mark Holland speaks to reporters in the foyer of the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Thursday, June 8, 2023. Holland says MPs have been able to use the hybrid workplace option to continue their work in Parliament while also attending important events in their ridings or dealing with personal and family matters. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
OTTAWA – The federal Liberals want to make virtual participation in the House of Commons a permanent option for members of Parliament.
All parties agreed to create a hybrid workplace amid lockdowns at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, and the system has been used ever since.
Government House leader Mark Holland says this has meant MPs can continue their work while also attending important events in their ridings or dealing with personal and family matters.
He says making it permanent could help encourage new people to run for public office, such as parents of young children.
Holland is expected to put a motion forward in the House of Commons today, and he says it will be debated and voted on before June 23, the last day of sitting before a summer break is scheduled to begin.
The order that currently allows for a hybrid Parliament expires at the end of June.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 8, 2023.
