Tories Call for End to Hybrid Parliament After Liberal MP Caught Joining House Proceedings From Washroom Stall

The House of Commons chamber in Ottawa in a file photo. The Canadian Press/Adrian Wyld

Conservatives are accusing Liberal MP Shafqat Ali of being in “contempt of the House” in response to an incident that took place on May 6 when the Liberal MP was caught participating in House proceedings from a bathroom stall.

On May 9, John Brassard, House Leader for the Conservatives, rose on a question of privilege to point out the “occurrence of misconduct.”

“The member of Parliament was literally using the washroom while participating in a sitting of the House of Commons, the cathedral of Canadian democracy. I cannot believe I actually just said those words,” Brassard said.

“Frankly, we have now had two years of Zoom meetings in a hybrid Parliament. Surely to God we have figured out when and where to turn our cameras on and off. It is the Liberal Party, the party that keeps shoving hybrid procedures down our throats, that cannot seem to get its act together.”

The incident is said to have occurred on a private internal screening rather than the feed that is available to the public. The incident was first flagged on May 6 by Conservative MP Laila Goodridge, who rose on a point of order to point out Ali’s participation from the washroom.

After Goodridge flagged Assistant Deputy Speaker Alexandra Mendes over the incident, Mendes later informed the House, that “a page has confirmed that there was a member that appeared to be in the washroom.”

Goodridge elaborated on the incident in an interview with the Ottawa Citizen, contending that the incident is another example of the pitfalls of having hybrid proceedings in Parliament.

“I thought people had learned their lesson,” she claimed. “This is just another reason why these virtual proceedings need to come to an end, because they are not being treated with the respect that they deserve.”

In response to the controversy, Ali apologized to the House for his actions in a statement given in the House of Commons via Zoom on May 9.

“I want to take this opportunity to apologize sincerely and unreservedly to all members of the parliament for the unfortunate event that transpired last Friday,” Ali said.

“I ask that the House and its members to forgive me for my lapse in judgment. I take this matter extremely seriously and I promise never to repeat this error again.”

In his statement, Brassard accused the Liberals of showing “blatant disrespect” to Parliament, citing two previous occasions in 2021 when Liberal MP Will Amos was caught naked on camera, which subsequently led to him not seeking re-election.

The solution, Brassard said, was to “shut down the hybrid parliament and end this remote participation.”

“It is time we all get back here, in our places in this chamber. On top of the disrespect shown to the House, there is also the matter of the potential consequential effects here on Parliament Hill.”

Brassard has requested that Ali’s conduct be referred to the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs for further investigation.