Members of Parliament have elected Greg Fergus as the new Speaker of the House of Commons. Fergus is the 38th Speaker of the House.
The abnormal mid-session Speaker election follows the resignation of Anthony Rota, who stepped down after inviting and recognizing former Nazi soldier Yarsalov Hunka as a “war hero” during a visit to Parliament by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Fergus is a Liberal MP, though the role of Speaker is to preside over House of Commons proceedings in a nonpartisan fashion.
Fergus said “respect and decorum” will be his goal.
“I’m going to be working hard on this and I need all your help to make this happen,” Fergus said shortly after being elected. “Respect is a fundamental part of what we do here. We need to make sure that we treat each other with respect and we show Canadians that example. There can be no dialogue unless there’s a mutual understanding of respect.”
Fergus will no longer participate in Liberal caucus meetings. As Speaker, he will not participate in House debates and will only vote on bills and motions in the event of a tie.
In February, Fergus was found guilty of violating federal ethics rules after lobbying for a television station to receive mandatory carriage from the CRTC.
Seven MPs sought the position, including several other Liberal MPs Alexandra Mendes, Sean Casey, Peter Schiefke. Conservative MP Chris d’Entremont and NDP MP Carol Hughes also threw their hats into the ring as well as Green leader Elizabeth May.
MPs voted by secret ballot and ranked their choices, meaning Fergus was elected with a majority of votes once ranked votes from less popular candidates were reallocated.
In addition to his base MP salary of $194,600, Fergus will receive an extra $92,000 annually, in line with the salary of a parliamentary minister. He also be able to live in an official residence in Chelsea, Quebec, in the community of Kingsmere, called the Farm. This is in addition to an apartment in the West Block of the Parliamentary precinct.
The deputy and the assistant to the deputy Speakers are generally appointed in the days following the Speaker’s election. Those roles are decided upon by a consensus from the parties.
