New COVID Fears Drive Liberals to Limit Number of MPs in Commons

The lightning spread of the Omicron COVID-19 variant is prompting federal politicians to reconsider the wisdom of having several hundred MPs huddled in the House of Commons.

Government House Leader Mark Holland announced Tuesday that Liberals will “greatly reduce” the number of their MPs in the House and intend to hold fully virtual caucuses for the time being.

Liberals are following the advice of public health officials, who are warning Canadians that “now is not the time for mass gatherings and that smaller is better,” Holland said, noting that experience in other countries suggests that the Omicron variant is up to eight times more contagious than the Delta variant.

It is particularly important to limit the meetings of parliamentarians who “come from all areas of the country and will return to all areas of the country,” he added.

Holland met with his opposition counterparts to inform them of the liberals’ decision, but said they must decide whether to follow suit.

A new Democratic official said the party’s weekly caucus meeting on Wednesday will be virtual and an update on the number of NDP deputies allowed in the House will arrive later in the day.

Bloc Quebecois spokesman Julien Coulombe-Bonnafous said the Bloc caucus will meet in person on Wednesday, “respecting all sanitary measures in force.” He added that all parliamentarians and staff who attend are fully vaccinated.

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Beyond that, Coulombe-Bonnafous said the Block “will continue to be cautious and will adjust, as we have done since the start of the pandemic, depending on developments and public health recommendations.”

Conservative whip Blake Richards said his group will also meet in person on Wednesday. He did not promise to take any other steps apart from saying “As always, Conservatives will continue to comply with all current public health guidelines.”

Both the Conservatives and the Bloc advocated last month for a full return to normal and in-person operations of the House and its committees, complaining that the hybrid format previously used during the pandemic allowed cabinet ministers to escape the scrutiny of the House. opposition.

Despite the objections of the Conservatives and the bloc, the Liberals and New Democrats joined forces to approve the resumption of the hybrid format, giving MPs the option to participate virtually in the proceedings.

However, since the new parliamentary session opened three weeks ago, most of the country’s 338 MPs have appeared in person in the Commons. They are required to wear masks, which must be removed when a deputy is voting, but the close seating arrangement makes it impossible to maintain two meters of physical distance between deputies when the chamber is packed.

Through Tuesday night, Holland said the Liberals will allow only 25-30 MPs at any one time to sit on their side of the chamber, including what he called a “robust cabinet presence.” The rest will participate remotely via videoconference.

He argued that the appearance of the highly transmissible Omicron variant demonstrates the wisdom of retaining the hybrid format.

“What is clear as we continue the fight against COVID-19 is that nothing is predictable,” Holland said.

“One of the things I said when we stressed the importance of hybrid arrangements is that we must remain flexible and adapt as public health circumstances change.”

Holland said there may be more changes to accommodate the Omicron variant wildfire spread, including the potential requirement that anyone entering the Commons compound have received a third booster shot, in addition to the current requirement for double vaccination.

He did not rule out the possibility of extending Parliament’s six-week vacation if the Omicron wave of the pandemic worsens much, as public health experts fear. The recess will begin Friday night and is currently scheduled to continue through January 31.

This Canadian Press report was first published on December 14, 2021.