Opposing aisles in the House of Commons are said to be placed two sword lengths apart, a reminder that disputes in the chamber should be resolved peacefully.
For Greg Fergus, two hockey stick lengths would probably be better. He prefers a more familiar analogy for his role in Canada’s democracy as the new Speaker of the House of Commons.
“It’s like being a ref in a game,” he told CBC’s The House in an episode that aired Saturday. As part of the show, CBC shadowed the newly elected Speaker for a day on the Hill.
“Politics is not a game, but to make the analogy: For any sport to go well, it has to be done within the framework of the rules that are set out. And people within that explore excellence. So my job is just to make sure people are conducting themselves in a way that respects the rules of the game, and then let them do what they need to do to win the game,” he told host Catherine Cullen.
Fergus, who was elected to the Speaker position on Oct. 3, is making an explicit push to make the House of Commons a more cordial, productive and effective part of Canadian democracy. In a speech ahead of Question Period on Oct. 18, he argued that the House of Commons was witnessing a “deterioration in the collective decorum of this place” and pushed MPs to do better, saying “We can choose to conduct ourselves differently.”
The House12:29Tackling disorder in the House of Commons
Featured VideoNew House of Commons Speaker Greg Fergus explains to Catherine Cullen how he hopes to bring more civility and decorum to Parliament, in a week that saw insults, rule-flouting, a disruptive Question Period — and a national poll showing Canadians are fed up with MPs’ antics in the House.
The new Speaker’s argument that House dysfunction was undermining itself got some additional backing this week. A new Angus Reid Institute poll showed many Canadians have a dim view of the institution’s activities, with respondents most likely to describe debates in the House as “posturing,” “useless” and “dishonest.”
Fergus said decorum has been the most common issue raised during his one-on-one conversations with MPs.
The new Speaker added he had seen “a real noticeable improvement in the decorum” in the past several weeks.
The House spoke with Fergus on Nov. 1, what he described as one of the “tougher” days of his short tenure so far. Question Period almost derailed completely as MPs heckled one another while Fergus appealed for calm.
The Speaker’s campaign for civility got off to a rocky start as Conservatives complained that his extensive speech on decorum was delaying QP.
Fergus’ efforts over the last two weeks have certainly not eliminated completely the sorts of interruptions or distractions that can often characterize debate in the House. Conservative MP Ben Lobb described the situation as “so-so” while Liberal MP Chris Bittle said the state of things could at times be “disgraceful.”
What does Canada’s House Speaker do?
Featured VideoLiberal MP Greg Fergus has been voted in as the new Speaker of the House of Commons. But what does the Speaker do and why is the role important to Canada’s democracy? Here’s everything you need to know.
NDP MP Charlie Angus said parliamentarians should not be aiming for some sort of idealized civility, with a House that is free of conflict.
“The idea that we’re all supposed to be well-behaved and super polite, sometimes there’s a falsity to that. These are serious issues, people should be passionate, people should be willing to challenge. The problem is when we get into mob behaviour, intimidation, shouting people down — that’s really gone well over the line,” he said.
Members must step up, Speaker says
Fergus told The House he hoped to set a good example and provide an environment where individuals MPs could choose to behave more productively.
An MP for the Quebec riding of Hull-Aylmer since 2015, Fergus served as parliamentary secretary to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and has a long history within Liberal partisan politics.
He said that, on balance, his record is positive — but not perfect.
“If you’re looking for a perfect person who had planned to be Speaker, I’m not that guy. I’ve made mistakes as every single one of us have made,” he said.
Fergus acknowledged that there’s something of a time crunch on his battle for decorum, as division and partisanship could ramp up ahead of an election that is at most two years away.
New Speaker’s speech on decorum faces delays, heckles
Featured VideoHouse of Commons Speaker Greg Fergus’s attempts to deliver a speech on decorum faced opposition as Conservatives said he shouldn’t have delayed question period to deliver his remarks.
“I think this is the reason why I need to start off very quickly on this issue, in terms of setting out what the expectations are,” he told Cullen. “If we take on that habit now well before the election, I think Canadians will be the real winners.”
Fergus said the aim is to empower MPs themselves to step up and choose to act in a different way.
“I think it’s always best to try to convince people to voluntarily conduct themselves in a way that is befitting of their role. When you do that, you have greater buy-in. It shouldn’t be up to me to be the arbiter of all things and force them into a role. They have to be a part of it,” he said.
“Frankly, if it’s up to me alone, it won’t succeed. It’s up to members.”
Quebec legislature member Youri Chassin has announced he’s leaving the Coalition Avenir Québec government to sit as an Independent.
He announced the decision shortly after writing an open letter criticizing Premier François Legault’s government for abandoning its principles of smaller government.
In the letter published in Le Journal de Montréal and Le Journal de Québec, Chassin accused the party of falling back on what he called the old formula of throwing money at problems instead of looking to do things differently.
Chassin says public services are more fragile than ever, despite rising spending that pushed the province to a record $11-billion deficit projected in the last budget.
He is the second CAQ member to leave the party in a little more than one week, after economy and energy minister Pierre Fitzgibbon announced Sept. 4 he would leave because he lost motivation to do his job.
Chassin says he has no intention of joining another party and will instead sit as an Independent until the end of his term.
He has represented the Saint-Jérôme riding since the CAQ rose to power in 2018, but has not served in cabinet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
MONTREAL – NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says he will not be taking advice from Pierre Poilievre after the Conservative leader challenged him to bring down government.
“I say directly to Pierre Poilievre: I’m not going to listen to you,” said Singh on Wednesday, accusing Poilievre of wanting to take away dental-care coverage from Canadians, among other things.
“I’m not going to listen to your advice. You want to destroy people’s lives, I want to build up a brighter future.”
Earlier in the day, Poilievre challenged Singh to commit to voting non-confidence in the government, saying his party will force a vote in the House of Commons “at the earliest possibly opportunity.”
“I’m asking Jagmeet Singh and the NDP to commit unequivocally before Monday’s byelections: will they vote non-confidence to bring down the costly coalition and trigger a carbon tax election, or will Jagmeet Singh sell out Canadians again?” Poilievre said.
“It’s put up or shut up time for the NDP.”
While Singh rejected the idea he would ever listen to Poilievre, he did not say how the NDP would vote on a non-confidence motion.
“I’ve said on any vote, we’re going to look at the vote and we’ll make our decision. I’m not going to say our decision ahead of time,” he said.
Singh’s top adviser said on Tuesday the NDP leader is not particularly eager to trigger an election, even as the Conservatives challenge him to do just that.
Anne McGrath, Singh’s principal secretary, says there will be more volatility in Parliament and the odds of an early election have risen.
“I don’t think he is anxious to launch one, or chomping at the bit to have one, but it can happen,” she said in an interview.
New Democrat MPs are in a second day of meetings in Montreal as they nail down a plan for how to navigate the minority Parliament this fall.
The caucus retreat comes one week after Singh announced the party has left the supply-and-confidence agreement with the governing Liberals.
It’s also taking place in the very city where New Democrats are hoping to pick up a seat on Monday, when voters go to the polls in Montreal’s LaSalle—Émard—Verdun. A second byelection is being held that day in the Winnipeg riding of Elmwood—Transcona, where the NDP is hoping to hold onto a seat the Conservatives are also vying for.
While New Democrats are seeking to distance themselves from the Liberals, they don’t appear ready to trigger a general election.
Singh signalled on Tuesday that he will have more to say Wednesday about the party’s strategy for the upcoming sitting.
He is hoping to convince Canadians that his party can defeat the federal Conservatives, who have been riding high in the polls over the last year.
Singh has attacked Poilievre as someone who would bring back Harper-style cuts to programs that Canadians rely on, including the national dental-care program that was part of the supply-and-confidence agreement.
The Canadian Press has asked Poilievre’s office whether the Conservative leader intends to keep the program in place, if he forms government after the next election.
With the return of Parliament just days away, the NDP is also keeping in mind how other parties will look to capitalize on the new makeup of the House of Commons.
The Bloc Québécois has already indicated that it’s written up a list of demands for the Liberals in exchange for support on votes.
The next federal election must take place by October 2025 at the latest.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024.
Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante is defending her decision to turn off comments on her social media accounts — with an announcement on social media.
She posted screenshots to X this morning of vulgar names she’s been called on the platform, and says comments on her posts for months have been dominated by insults, to the point that she decided to block them.
Montreal’s Opposition leader and the Canadian Civil Liberties Association have criticized Plante for limiting freedom of expression by restricting comments on her X and Instagram accounts.
They say elected officials who use social media should be willing to hear from constituents on those platforms.
However, Plante says some people may believe there is a fundamental right to call someone offensive names and to normalize violence online, but she disagrees.
Her statement on X is closed to comments.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024.
