Liberal MP Francis Scarpaleggia, who has represented the Montreal-area riding of Lac–Saint–Louis since 2004, has been elected Speaker of the House of Commons.
“I would remind members that we are at the beginning of a mandate, in the selfish hope that you will afford me a little grace period,” Scarpaleggia said from the Speaker’s chair after the announcement of his election.
“Thank you for your confidence,” he also said. “I have few words because, well, we all have things we want to accomplish, and we’ve been away.”
According to House of Commons procedure, electing a Speaker of the House is the first step of a new parliamentary session, second only to the swearing in of MPs.
Monday marks the start of a new session of Parliament, and a return to the House for newly elected and returning MPs. Shortly after the House rose for the winter break last December, former prime minister Justin Trudeau prorogued Parliament and resigned, kicking off the race to replace him.
Then, after Mark Carney won the Liberal leadership in March and was sworn in as prime minister, he called an election, which was held last month. Now, for the first time in five months, MPs are back in the House of Commons.
“Mr. Speaker, I have much to learn from the members of this great House,” Carney said. “I will make mistakes. I have no doubt that you will call them out for good reason, because this House has rules, it has traditions, and it’s on those traditions that our Athenian democracy is founded.”
Andrew Scheer — who is serving as Conservative Leader in the House of Commons after party leader Pierre Poilievre lost his seat in the election — offered up “support and best wishes” to the new Speaker.
“You are held accountable by the members, and each of us are accountable to our voters,” he said. “Debates should be passionate. They should be lively. The lives of Canadians are changed by the decisions we make, and so it is normal that members get enthusiastic and fiery when the stakes are so high.”
Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-François Blanchet, interim NDP Leader Don Davies, and Green Party Leader Elizabeth May also addressed the House following Scarpaleggia’s election on Monday.
Scarpaleggia was up against five other Liberal MPs, including the House’s most recent Speaker Greg Fergus, on the secret ranked ballot.
The House of Commons Speaker has key administrative and managerial functions, extending beyond the role Canadians most often see them play.
They are the impartial adjudicator of House proceedings, maintaining order and decorum while interpreting parliamentary rules, as well as performing ceremonial and diplomatic responsibilities when they act as a representative of the Canadian Parliament.
Speakers are required to act in a nonpartisan manner, and once chosen by their peers, the MP donning the robe will no longer participate in caucus meetings held by the party they were elected to represent. In the role, the Speaker never participates in debate, and only votes in case of a tie.
The Liberals are three seats shy of a majority, with 169 MPs in the House. The Conservatives aren’t far behind, with 144 seats, just 25 fewer than the governing Liberals.
A Liberal in the nonpartisan Speaker’s chair means one fewer vote for that party.
Two Conservative MPs — Chris d’Entremont and John Nater — had put their names forward in the race for Speaker, but withdrew ahead of the vote on Monday. Green Party Leader Elizabeth May also announced Sunday that she would not run, saying she “cannot let down Canadians who know we need at least one Green voice” in the House of Commons.
Following a moment of silence for the victims of the Lapu Lapu Day festival in Vancouver, the House adjourned until Tuesday morning.
King Charles III is then set to deliver the speech from the throne, to lay out the government’s priorities for the session.
