Members of Parliament have started the process of finding a replacement for Anthony Rota as Speaker of the House of Commons following his resignation.
Rota stepped down on Tuesday amid the international fallout over his recognition of a Ukrainian veteran who had fought in a Nazi unit during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s visit to Canada Sept. 22.
His resignation took effect Wednesday night, with an interim Speaker in the role until MPs vote on a replacement on Tuesday.
Without someone acting as Speaker, parliamentary business can’t proceed.
Here’s what you need to know.
What does the Speaker do?
The Speaker position is filled by an elected MP.
However, once they become Speaker, they are considered an independent officer of Parliament, said Nelson Wiseman, professor emeritus of political science at the University of Toronto.
“He presides over the business of Parliament,” Wiseman said.
“People have seen what the Speaker does if they’ve ever seen question period, and questions as well as statements and debates in the House go through the Speaker. That’s who you’re supposed to be addressing.”
According to Parliament’s website, the Speaker never participates in debate, only votes in case of a tie and works to balance the right of the government to transact business in an orderly manner and the rights of all MPs as laid out in House of Commons rules.
“He or she also ensures that the rights of individual members—such as free speech, exemption from jury duty, and freedom from obstruction, interference, intimidation and molestation—and of the House as an institution—such as the right to regulate its own affairs and the right to institute inquiries and to call witnesses and demand papers—are fully protected and exercised,” the rules say.
The Speaker also has other duties, including maintaining decorum in the chamber.
They are the head of the House of Commons administration employees and are responsible for its overall direction and management.
The Parliament of Canada Act indicates all matters of administrative and financial policy affecting the House and its members are overseen by the powerful Board of Internal Economy, composed of MPs and chaired by the Speaker, Parliament’s website states.
The Speaker’s administrative duties also involve tabling certain documents and reports, including those coming from the Board of Internal Economy, bylaws stemming from the provisions of the Parliament of Canada Act and documents submitted by officials like commissioners, the auditor general and the chief electoral officer.
As a representative of the House of Commons, the Speaker has several traditional, ceremonial and diplomatic duties. The Speaker is the spokesperson for the House in its dealings with the Senate, the Crown and other bodies outside Parliament.
They are assisted by a deputy Speaker, who is also chair of any committees of the whole — when the entire House sits as a committee, often for speedier passage of bills or for special debates.
Other presiding officers who carry out the duties of the Speaker when they can’t be in the House of Commons include the deputy chair of committees of the whole and an assistant deputy chair.
What do MPs look for in a Speaker?
Generally, experience is a factor when electing a Speaker, said Jonathan Malloy, a political science professor at Carleton University.
“It is someone who usually does have some experience in Parliament, brings some knowledge, brings a fair amount of familiarity with the procedural aspects,” he said.
“That’s sort of the background skills you’d expect for a speaker.”
However, generally it is someone who is a member of the governing party and in this case, a Liberal.
“A lot of people just vote for somebody who they like and it’s almost always certainly someone who’s in their parliamentary caucus,” Wiseman said.
“I don’t expect you’re going to have many Conservatives voting for Liberals who are running for the position, or Liberals voting for Conservatives.”
Only twice in parliamentary history has there been a Speaker who was not a member of the governing party: the first was former Liberal MP James Jerome, who held the position in 1979 while Joe Clark’s Progressive Conservatives governed Canada.
The second time was in 2006 when former Liberal MP Peter Milliken, who was serving in the role since 2001, was re-elected Speaker during the Stephen Harper Conservative government. He was re-elected in 2008.
Generally, if it’s a majority government, it’s usually a member of the government who becomes Speaker, Malloy said.
However, in the two times Opposition MPs became Speaker, minority governments ran the country, which is the same situation today – although Rota, a Liberal, was re-elected twice during Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s 2019 and 2021 minority governments.
The are various reasons why an Opposition MP could become Speaker, Malloy added.
“The best example would be in 2006-2008, when Mr. Harper and the Conservatives generally supported Liberal Peter Milliken staying on as Speaker. He had been Speaker since 2001 and for various reasons, the Harper Conservatives felt that was reasonable and the House in general supported that because, of course, the government didn’t have a majority,” he said.
“In this case, it could be a member of the Opposition here because if it does happen, it happens in a minority government situation, which we are in.”
Who is seeking to replace Rota?
All 338 MPs are considered to be in the running unless they remove themselves from the ballot.
For a candidate to be successful, they must receive at least 50 per cent of the vote – plus one vote.
As of Thursday, Conservative MP Chris d’Entremont, who is already a deputy Speaker, has indicated he plans to run for the role, as has Liberal MP Greg Fergus. NDP MP Carol Hughes, who is also a deputy Speaker, is also entering the race.
Until a Speaker is elected, the job is being filled by the dean of the House, the MP with the longest unbroken record of service.
That is Bloc Québécois MP Louis Plamondon, 80, who has been sitting in the House of Commons since 1984.
He is the first Bloc MP to serve in the role. Plamondon said in French on Wednesday that he finds it “a bit funny” that he – a Quebec sovereigntist – is Speaker of the House of Commons.
— with files from The Canadian Press
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