SoVote

Decentralized Democracy

House Hansard - 214

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
June 15, 2023 10:00AM
Context: House Hansard - 214 - Jun/15/23
Hon. Mark Holland
  • Jun/15/23 4:37:29 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I will start with the hockey analogy, because I think it is an apt one. Members can imagine a circumstance where there was a change, where there was an option to play hockey outdoors or play hockey indoors, either option was available, and someone chose every single day to play hockey indoors, but then came and said that playing hockey indoors is evil, awful and terrible. It is the worst thing to do, yet they keep showing up to the indoor arena. That is the actual analogy here. There is an option. If one does not want to use hybrid, they do not have to use hybrid. They can show up and vote in person, and they can participate in person every single day, but that is not the choice the Conservatives make. The choice they make is to use the virtual functions when they do not have to. That is the point I am making. The consensus is found in the utilization of all of it. I certainly hope it is not the case, but if there is Conservative government one day, and that government decides with another party to get rid of these provisions, then it can. However, I am saying there are so many circumstances, such as what we talked about with Chuck Cadman. We talked about what his wife, Dona Cadman, said. We can talk about my good friend, Arnold Chan, one of the closest people in my life, whom I had to watch drag himself into this chamber with no option other than to be here, sick. We could talk about Mauril Bélanger. The list could go on and on. I have not even heard from the members how they would accommodate at least that. In the reverse, what we have seen is that when the opposition has had issues, like saying ministers should be present in question period, we agreed. When they said chairs of committees must be present for accountability and in order for committees to function and work, we said “yes”. When they made actual constructive suggestions, we listened to them, and we will continue to listen to them.
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Context: House Hansard - 214 - Jun/15/23
Mr. Taylor Bachrach (Skeena—Bulkley Valley, NDP)
  • Jun/15/23 7:29:47 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, one of the things we have heard in this debate is a concern about abuse of the virtual tools that we have become accustomed to. Thinking about the constituents I represent, I think they have an expectation both that I travel to Ottawa, be a part of this place and represent them in the House of Commons and also that, under certain circumstances, the virtual tools allow me to do an even better job and be present more of the time. Does the member agree that our constituents' expectation that we spend time in Ottawa and in the House of Commons will serve as a control on the potential abuse of these virtual tools that we now have available?
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