Now hear this
Could technology like Zoom make for a more accessible Parliament, post-pandemic?
Could technology like Zoom make for a more accessible Parliament after the COVID-19 pandemic ends?
Think of your last Zoom call with your family or workplace team, then imagine it with hundreds of people from across the country.
That’s exactly what happened Tuesday at the first virtual meeting of Parliament and, by most accounts, it went quite well, and made for some pretty good commentary on social media as people scrutinized members’ quarantine hair and Zoom backdrops — from NDP MP Daniel Blaikie’s plain white sheet and Tory MP Brad Vis’ empty shelves and photo frame, to Finance Minister Bill Morneau’s upscale living room and Industry Minister Navdeep Bains’ colourful painting of men in turbans — and noted who was having issues with their mute buttons and internet connections (Natural Resources Minister Seamus O’regan, to name one).
Halifax MP Andy Fillmore said at its peak there were about 300 participants tuned in.
“There were 14 screens of faces that you could scroll through, so there were a lot of people on board,” he said following Tuesday’s meeting.
Fillmore said there were some minor technical difficulties with translation, but the tech support was great and most of the kinks got ironed out during a dry run on Monday.
“This is a tour de force of the House of Commons technical team. They've really done a remarkable job,” he said.
Fillmore said there was one or two occasions when people lost their patience with some technical issues, and points where MPS took liberties with the fact that they controlled their own microphones, unlike during in-person sittings.
For the most part, Fillmore said, everyone was in good spirits and happy to be together again even virtually, as the few in-person meetings that have taken place since the House of Commons was suspended in March have been with a much smaller group of about 30.
“Overall, I would say it was extremely positive and quite historic, and fascinating to be a part of it,” he said.
CONTROLLED BEHAVIOUR
From a decorum perspective, former speaker and Halifax West MP Geoff Regan said current Speaker Anthony Rota had good control of the House, though he did have to issue a few warnings.
“The speaker said, ‘If you're going to talk over people then
I can cut you off. I have the control for that.’ So, he gave the warning,” Regan said.
For the MPS’ part, Regan said there was a lot less talking over one another and heckling than there usually is in the House.
“That by itself is a great improvement. Some people might like to just only have things happen using this system,” he said. "But there's no question that having people sit in person in the full House when that's possible is preferable.”
No legislation can pass during the virtual sittings — to get around parliamentary rules, the virtual meetings are technically a special committee on the COVID-19 pandemic that includes all MPS — but MPS can still ask questions, present petitions and make statements like they can during a normal sitting.
SOPHISTICATED SYSTEM
Speaking with Saltwire Network, Jon Blanchard,
Halifax-based tech writer and analyst, said from a privacy and security perspective he doesn’t have any real concerns about using Zoom to hold House of Commons meetings, especially considering the various safeguards in place on MPS’ work-issued devices.
“They're not doing anything with the Commons meetings that wouldn't normally be public … and they shouldn’t be discussing anything on Zoom that isn't something they would be discussing in the House of Commons,” he said. “If they were doing foreign relations committee meetings or something, well, that would be a whole other discussion.”
Blanchard said there has been some significant funding and effort put into bringing Shared Services Canada, the wing of government responsible for delivering digital and IT services, into the 21st century in recent years, which will go a long way to making sure things continue to run smoothly.
“From a guy who has really criticized (shared services) in the past, they've actually cleaned that up a fair bit,” he said.
With 338 MPS in all corners of the country, there might be one positive outcome in all this, Blanchard said.
“They may, in fact, start becoming a lot more interested in rural broadband before this is all done,” he said.
UPDATING DEMOCRACY
Howard Ramos, political sociology professor at Dalhousie University, said being forced to adapt to a global pandemic has caused institutions to explore more accessible technologies that have already been available for some time.
“It offers some new longterm solutions that can change how democracy works in Canada,” he said.
Some examples of how these technologies could be used beyond the pandemic is saving people the trip to Ottawa to appear at committee meetings or allowing MPS who have various personal or family circumstances to participate even if they can’t be there in person.
Fillmore said future adaptations of Zoom and other remote technology to make the House of Commons more accessible are not out of the realm of possibility.
“I think this can be perceived as a proof … that distance participation in Parliament is possible,” he said. “And I think it would be fascinating to look at what that means for a more familyfriendly Parliament.”
A limited in-person House of Commons meeting took place on Wednesday, where MPS debated the proposed legislation surrounding a monthly benefit for students affected by the lockdowns due to the COVID-19 pandemic.