Tories push methods for votes in Commons
Parliament stymied due to restrictions
OTTAWA • With Parliament at an impasse, Conservatives are putting forward creative voting methods in an effort to restore a fully functioning House of Commons.
MPS voting from the Commons courtyard, by paper ballot, by lining up, or in shifts are just some of the methods the Conservatives have put to the Speaker as a means to bring Parliament back and protect the health of parliamentarians.
“Voting is a cornerstone of parliamentary proceedings and we must ensure that no one wishing to vote is denied; and it is this issue for which I would welcome your views and strategies on how all MPS may vote in-person while respecting health advice,” Conservative House leader Candice Bergen wrote to Speaker Anthony Rota in a letter obtained by National Post.
Full regular sittings of Parliament have been on hold since mid-march when MPS from all parties came together and agreed to suspend sittings due to the risk of the coronavirus. Since then, MPS have gathered on a few occasions, but in limited numbers in the chamber.
During one of those special sittings Wednesday, the Liberals proposal to fasttrack legislation through the Commons hit a roadblock when opposition parties wouldn’t give consent to move the bill forward. The bill would have imposed penalties on people fraudulently claiming the Canada Emergency Response Benefit as well as a payment to people with disabilities. When the Liberals tried to pass just the legislation dealing with disability payments, that also stalled.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau singled out the Conservatives for refusing to move ahead on the bill that would give a one-time $600 payment to people with disabilities. “I know there isn’t a single member in the House of any party that doesn’t want to see extra help go to Canadians living with disabilities,” he said. “Politics got in the way of actually helping Canadians.”
Conservative leader Andrew Scheer rejected the criticism and said the Liberals could pass the legislation if they reopened the Commons. A motion to have the full Commons debate the bill was rejected by the Liberals.
“The mistake yesterday was the Liberals shamefully saying no to allowing Parliament to deal with that legislation and then disgustingly trying to play petty politics on the backs of people with disabilities,” said Scheer.
One of the main barriers to bringing Parliament back during the pandemic has been how to handle votes, because currently there are no procedures allowing an MP to vote from anywhere other than their seat in the Commons. MPS who fail to get into the chamber on time, even if they are in the halls just outside, can’t cast a vote. There is no allowance for proxy votes or electronic voting.