Hybrid sittings proposed for Senate in compromise to pass COVID-19 aid bill

OTTAWA — The Senate could follow the House of Commons’ lead in letting senators join debates by video conference.

Sen. Marc Gold, the government’s representative in the Senate, introduced a motion to start “hybrid” sittings, to be debated the next time the upper chamber sits.

It’s part of a compromise to get the Liberal government’s latest aid bill for workers affected by COVID-19 passed.

The House of Commons approved that bill unanimously earlier this week but it was briefly stymied in the Senate when some senators complained that they’re tired of being rushed into rubber-stamping legislation on short notice.

And for safety reasons, not all the senators can be in the chamber at once.

The motion on hybrid sittings won’t be debated until the next time the Senate sits, which isn’t due until the end of October.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 2, 2020.

The Canadian Press