Canada's Parliament session was held virtually as social distancing guidelines are in place to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Speaker Anthony Rota stayed in the Parliament, while 338 MPs logged into the online session from home.
"This is a historic day," Rota announced before warning MPs against taking screenshots of the session as per parliamentary rules.
The first session, however, was marred by minor technical glitches that were quickly rectified.
While some lawmakers applauded the move, others accused Trudeau of "using a pandemic to avoid accountability and oversight".
The decision to extend the virtual parliament beyond May 25 will be made in the coming days, with many claiming regular sessions were unlikely to resume until next year.
Global airlines race to fix A320 jets after Airbus recall
Death toll in Sri Lanka rises to 153 after Cyclone Ditwah
Hong Kong mourns victims of blaze that killed 128 and counting
Vast Russian overnight attack on Ukraine kills two, wounds dozens
Indonesia flood death toll climbs to 303 amid cyclone devastation
