e-2629 (Parliament and politics)

Petition to the Prime Minister

• The influx of Canadians seeking federal government support throughout the COVID-19 pandemic indicates that the House of Commons should be considered an essential service to Canada and all Canadians;
• Limiting the business of the House of Commons to matters concerning the COVID-19 pandemic inhibits the ability of members of Parliament to hold the government to account on all other matters of national and international concern;
• Virtual meetings of the House of Commons or its standing committees are an insufficient replacement for normal sittings of the House of Commons and its standing committees;
• The Prime Minister’s daily press availability is not an effective forum for holding him accountable;
• The Prime Minister can only be held accountable and answerable to Canadians in the presence of opposition members of Parliament in the House of Commons;
• Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, legislation containing unprecedented levels of public spending has been hurriedly adopted without proper consideration of the views of individuals and groups from every region of the country, and has not been duly considered under the normal legislative process;
• A return to normal, in-person sittings of the House of Commons and its standing committees would allow members of Parliament to effectively vet decisions being made without sufficient debate; and
• An international crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic, warrants an increased level of parliamentary debate, accountability, and oversight.