Senate passes latest COVID-19 aid bill after compromise on hybrid sittings

OTTAWA — The government’s bill to replace the Canada Emergency Response Benefit has passed the Senate.

Bill C-4 expands the employment insurance system and creates new leave benefits for workers who get sick with COVID-19 or have to care for dependants who are ill.

The Senate approved it on a simple voice vote.

The House of Commons approved the 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.

So Sen. Marc Gold, the government’s representative in the Senate, introduced a motion to start “hybrid” sittings.

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