Promise of Senate hybrid sittings clears way for worker aid bill

The government’s representative in the Senate is promising to introduce a motion today to hold hybrid sittings of the upper house during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sen. Marc Gold’s promise cleared the way Thursday for the Senate to deal swiftly later in the day with a bill authorizing new benefits for workers left jobless or underemployed by the health crisis.

Frustration over the Senate’s failure to find a way to resume full operations in the midst of the pandemic prompted some senators Wednesday to block Gold’s attempt to speed Bill C-4 through the chamber.

The bill replaces the now-defunct Canada Emergency Response Benefit with a more expansive employment insurance regime and three new benefits for those who don’t qualify for EI, fall sick or have to stay home to care for a dependant.

It was passed unanimously in the House of Commons in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

The Senate has sat only occasionally and briefly since mid-March to pass emergency aid legislation. Many senators want to adopt a format similar to that now being used in the Commons, with members able to participate in all proceedings, including votes, either in person or virtually.

“Many senators face impossible choices in terms of balancing health and safety, ensuring compliance with provincial regulations and discharging Senate duties and it is no longer viable to expect that all senators regularly crisscross this country during the second wave of the pandemic when it becomes possible to do things differently,” Gold told senators Thursday.

“Moving forward, I believe that the implementation of a hybrid approach will best serve Canadians.”

Gold added the Senate’s administration has made “much progress” to make hybrid sittings “operational as soon as possible this fall.”