The COVID‑19 pandemic drove many legislatures around the world to adopt or expand their use of digital technologies in order to continue exercising their core functions of legislating, studying issues of public policy, scrutinizing governments and representing constituents. In the face of physical distancing requirements and lockdowns, the Parliament of Canada introduced new information and communication technology (ICT) – such as Zoom and, in the House of Commons, a new electronic voting system – to increase its capacity to hold remote and hybrid chamber and committee meetings. Senators and members of Parliament had to adapt quickly to participate in Parliament remotely and to engage with each other, with citizens and with stakeholders in an increasingly digital environment.
This HillStudy examines the experiences of Canadian senators, members of Parliament and parliamentary staff with digital parliament since the pandemic. It places these experiences in a wider context of those had by parliamentarians and parliamentary staff in other countries and jurisdictions – especially the ones that adapted ICT to fit similar Westminster traditions and procedures. It also highlights recent research by academics, the Samara Centre and the Inter-Parliamentary Union on the possible effects of digital parliaments on core parliamentary functions.
Read the full text of the HillStudy: Digital Parliament: Canada in Context
By Martin McCallum, Library of Parliament
Categories: Executive summary, Government, Parliament and politics, Information and communications