Cost Estimate of a Hybrid Parliament System

Senator Rosa Galvez requested that the Parliamentary Budget Officer estimate the costs and savings of a hybrid parliamentary system. In such a system, parliamentarians can participate in the proceedings either in person or remotely via videoconference.

This report estimates certain incremental costs (mostly acquisition of IT equipment and increased costs of interpretation services) and the savings (reduction in travel expenses for Senators and Members of the House of Commons that no longer travel to Ottawa to attend in person) of a hybrid parliamentary system.