Virtual parliament? Northern B.C. MPs prefer being there in person

Whether or not it becomes a permanent feature, it appears unlikely that MPs Todd Doherty and Taylor Bachrach will take anymore advantage of teleconferencing technology to participate in debates in the House of Commons from the comfort of their home ridings.

Both Doherty, the Conservative MP for Cariboo-Prince George, and Bachrach, the New Democrat MP for Skeena-Bulkley Valley, admitted to taking in sessions virtually in the past but remain proponents of being in Ottawa in person as much as possible when the House is session.

"Canadians elected their Members of Parliament to be their electors' voices to Ottawa," Doherty said this week.

In introducing a plan June 8 to make so-called hybrid parliaments permanent, Government House leader Mark Holland said it will mean MPs can continue their work while also attending important events in their ridings or dealing with personal and family matters.

He argued that making it permanent could help encourage new people to run for public office, such as parents of young children.

Doherty and Bachrach represent ridings that are among the furthest from the nation's capital. Taking in a session virtually could mean less time stuck in planes in airports but there is also the three-hour time difference between B.C. and Ontario to take into account.

Doherty said his days in Ottawa typically start at 6 a.m. "That means when I'm at my computer at home from  3 a.m. to whenever our meetings break," he said.

Hybrid parliaments have been in place since MPs started returning to the House of Commons after the initial lockdowns at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Voting by app began in 2021.

Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre has been an outspoken critic of the Holland's proposal. Doherty said the issue is really about whether or not the matter should be settled through a standing order at the start of each session.

The current order expires at the end of the month and Holland said the need to debate the extension of that emergency order at the start of each sitting of Parliament has taken up a great deal of time.

But Doherty said Holland's proposal would require only a majority to gain approval whereas a standing order requires unanimous consent of the House.

The New Democrats have expressed support of making hybrid parliaments permanent at the committee level but the item remains up for debate in the House. Bachrach said he will look for measures that will prevent Liberal ministers from using the system to dodge accountability.

And while he sees some merit for the idea in certain situations, "virtual parliament is no replacement for being in person.

"There is so much that happens around the edges of the official process, whether it's impromptu meetings in the hallway or outside the building, the ability to read people's body language. It's a much more rich experience and even with the virtual tools we have, we're not able to fully replicate the experience of being in person."

- with files from Sarah Ritchie, The Canadian Press