House Speaker Greg Fergus apologized to a committee of MPs for his participation in a video tribute shown at the Ontario Liberal leadership convention.
Fergus appeared before the Committee on Procedure and House Affairs to answer questions about the controversial cameo.
Also present for the five-hour committee hearing was Ontario Liberal MPP John Fraser, the video’s subject, Simon Tunstall, the chief returning officer of the 2023 Liberal leadership election, and several House of Commons clerks.
Fergus reiterated several points previously reported by True North over the past week. Among these, he emphasized his lack of awareness that the video would be shown at a partisan event.
“Regardless of it being aired privately or publicly, I should never have recorded it,” said Fergus. “I know I messed up, and I won’t do it again.”
Conservative House Leader Andrew Scheer, a former speaker of the House, had previously presented an analogy of a referee giving the opposing team a pep talk prior to the game while wearing his uniform, which would result in the other team not trusting his calls.
When he assumed the speaker’s chair, Fergus said he spoke of the role being like a referee.
“I think one thing Canadians know well is that referees make mistakes. They are human. But unlike a referee after a game, I’m here to admit that. I blew that call. But I’m also telling you that I will do better,” said Fergus.
Fergus said he would implement a more rigorous communication protocol to ensure this never happens again. He said that he will rely heavily on the services of the House administration to review requests like the video tribute.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet both condemned Fergus and called for his resignation.
“He cannot stay,” Blanchet told reporters. “It should be fixed as soon as possible for it not to become a distraction in Parliament.”
Fergus initially apologized last Monday while in Washington, D.C. During this trip, Poilievre called for his resignation on X (formerly Twitter).
“All neutrality is gone. He must resign,” Poilievre said.
Despite the criticism, some members of the government, including House Leader Karina Gould, have supported Fergus, advocating for moving past the incident following his apology.
“When I took on this role two months ago, I said words and symbols matter. I told you how respect would be at the heart of how I would take on this role. Respect for people. Respect for decorum. Respect for the institution of Parliament. These values continue to be important to me, but it’s fair to say, like anyone taking on a new post, I’m learning on the job,” said Fergus.
