Category: House of Commons

Scottish MP Pleads Guilty to Breaching COVID-19 Regulations While Awaiting Test Result

Margaret Ferrier, who was elected as an SNP MP in December 2019, has pleaded guilty to breaching COVID-19 rules by travelling on a train between London and Scotland in September 2020 despite being told to self-isolate. Ferrier, 61, was due to go on trial this week but she admitted “culpably and recklessly exposing the public” to…


House of Commons Committee Will Hold Two Hearings on Rogers Outage Today

OTTAWA—The House of Commons industry committee will hold two hearings today about the Rogers outage that lasted more than 15 hours and left millions of Canadians in a communications blackout. The July 8 outage affected Rogers mobile and internet users, knocked out ATMs, shut down the Interac payments system and prevented calls to 911 services…


House of Commons Industry Committee to Investigate Rogers Outage

OTTAWA—The House of Commons industry committee will study the massive Rogers Communications outage that left millions of Canadians in a communications blackout for more than 15 hours last week. MPs on the committee agreed unanimously to probe what happened during a special meeting today. The July 8 outage affected Rogers mobile and internet users, knocking…


House of Commons Industry Committee to Discuss Investigating Rogers Outage

The House of Commons industry and technology committee is set to meet today to discuss launching an investigation into the Rogers Communications Inc. outage. Last Friday’s outage lasted more than 15 hours, affecting mobile and internet users, knocking out ATMs, shutting down the Interac payments system and preventing calls to 911 services in some Canadian…


Babies Banned From House of Commons Even If They Are ‘Good as Gold’

The House of Commons Procedure Committee has announced a permanent ban on MPs bringing their babies into the chamber. It comes after Labour MP Stella Creasy brought her 3-month-old son, Pip, into the chamber during a debate. She said he was “as good as gold” but she later received an email reminding her of the…


Does the United Kingdom Protect Human Rights?

Commentary The responses of the UK government to the COVID-19 pandemic had an overwhelming impact on human rights in that country. This is the conclusion of the Human Rights Measurement Initiative (HRMI), an international non-governmental organisation, in its 2021 human rights report. According to HRMI, “a detailed survey of human rights experts tells us that a…


PM Tabs Chief Legal Officer at House of Commons to Be Next Privacy Commissioner

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has nominated accomplished lawyer Philippe Dufresne to be the next federal privacy commissioner. Dufresne is the chief legal officer of the House of Commons and has previously worked as senior general counsel of the Canadian Human Rights Commission. The privacy commissioner investigates complaints and publicly reports on how public and private-sector…


Boris Johnson Vows to Get on With Job After Winning Confidence Vote

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has vowed to get on with the job as he faced MPs for the first time after winning a confidence vote within the ruling Conservative Party. Johnson survived a vote of confidence on Monday, with 211 Conservative MPs backing him and 148 wanting him to step down over the partygate…


UK’s Johnson Vows to Get on With Job After Winning Confidence Vote

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson vowed to get on with the job as he faced MPs for the first time after winning a confidence vote within the ruling Conservative Party. Johnson survived a vote of confidence on June 6, with 211 Conservative MPs backing him and 148 wanting him to step down over the partygate…


UK Defence Ministry Urged to Review Outsourcing as Contractors Accused of Dropping Standards for Profit

British lawmakers have urged the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to review its practice of outsourcing services amid allegations that some contractors have dropped standards to boost profits. In its latest report, the Defence Committee of the House of Commons said outsourcing appeared to be the MoD’s default position, with little consideration given to providing services…