Procedure and House Affairs committee  Thank you very much for that. I agree. I'm going to answer this in a couple of ways. I really respect my colleagues' work. I think they make some excellent points. I do think it's not a question of mode; this is a question of how Parliament functions and what people learn from each other.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  Could you clarify in English the last bit?

Procedure and House Affairs committee  Thank you. When ministers respond online, the minister's going to be more likely to read notes, to resort to paper, and perhaps not to consider people's reactions or the body language that you get. There can often be an inhibiting of an exchange between parliamentarians. Often when a minister or the governing party sees the opposition react strongly to something, then they can take that to caucus and discuss it there.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  Thank you for your question. I have to speak in English. I speak French too slowly and constantly stumble over my words. Pardon me.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  I began just by apologizing, in French, that I would not be speaking in French. The key difference between parliamentarians being in person and witnesses being online goes to two things, first of all. As some of the literature shows now with parliaments and what we've seen in some jurisdictions in Asia during the pandemic in particular but also in Europe, you can bring in witnesses from around the world much more easily, so it expands who can actually speak to parliamentarians.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  Thank you, Madam Chair. It's wonderful to be speaking before you today. I decided to walk my talk, and that's why I'm appearing in person. Parliament is the beating heart of democracy. You know that. It is tremendously demanding of you, but it also gives tremendously to you. While you have to be commended for how Parliament functioned during the pandemic, those measures must now come to a conclusion.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  No, it was not absolutely necessary, but ultimately that is the call of the Prime Minister.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  Problematic, but not abusive.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  The Liberal government did.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  Yes. It's very important committee work, and that Standing Order is also important, I believe.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  Ultimately, it's the public.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  The role of Parliament is very important. One evolution that we've seen coming out of 2008 is for Parliament to provide information to the Governor General. You could make a requirement that, if there's a prorogation, information also goes from Parliament to the office of the Governor General.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  Sure, and just to preface my remarks, I've advised four of the parties that are currently in the House of Commons now at different levels of government, so I am non-partisan on this. Quite frankly, in 2008-09 or 2020, if I had been a strategist or an adviser to those governments, I would have suggested prorogation.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  Two reasons. First, yes, to reset, but also to emphasize what the government priorities are in a changed circumstance, or if it's getting lost in a political debate that is starting to go ahead.... Second, if you look at 2020, this was a government that was tired. This was a government that was under a lot of pressure.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  Sure. For me there are two issues here. First of all is the question of the committees. You will see in the notes I've provided that I make a recommendation on what Parliament could do. It cannot actually put restrictions on the Prime Minister or the Governor General with respect to the power of prorogation without a constitutional amendment, but it could look at how it operates when prorogation is called.