By Canadian Press

Could a hybrid House of Commons be here to stay? NDP leader wants to talk about it

Oct 27, 2021 | 11:24 AM

OTTAWA — Jagmeet Singh says Canada should consider having a permanent hybrid Parliament to attract more women and parents with young children to federal politics.

The NDP leader says MPs should consider keeping a flexible format — allowing some MPs to attend virtually if they need to — after the pandemic ends.

Speaking at a press conference in Ottawa, the NDP leader says a permanent hybrid parliament would persuade more people to go into politics and provide flexibility for some MPs.

Singh says widening participation in federal politics and making it more “welcoming” to women, people with young children and those with other caregiving duties would be good for Canada.

Both the NDP and the Liberals favour continuing a hybrid Parliament, which was introduced during the pandemic, this session if all MPs are vaccinated. But the Tories oppose it. 

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Singh said a hybrid parliament has been shown to work well and he thinks continuing it after the pandemic should be discussed to “increase participation” in politics. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 27, 2021.

The Canadian Press