By Canadian Press

Virtual voting for House of Commons moves into next phase with debut of mobile app

Mar 8, 2021 | 8:59 AM

OTTAWA — Members of Parliament are set to start voting on bills and motions using their mobile devices. 

The debut of a mobile voting app is the latest adaptation of the parliamentary process during the COVID-19 pandemic.

It comes nearly a year since Parliament shut its doors as part of the national lockdown to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus.

The Commons remained fully closed for nearly a month before the parties were able to agree on a path forward that would keep people safe and ensure government was still working.

Now, the House of Commons sits in a hybrid format that allows MPs to either attend in person or log-in via the video application Zoom.

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Work on an app to make the voting process easier remotely has been underway for months and is now ready for use, potentially as early as Monday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 8, 2020.

Stephanie Levitz, The Canadian Press