The liberals Alexandra Mendès and Greg Fergus, the conservative Chris d’Entremont and the new Democrat Carol Hughes announced Wednesday that they wish to succeed Anthony Rota who resigned from his post as president the day before for having led parliamentarians to give a standing ovation former Nazi.
Mr. d’Entremont, who has two years of experience as vice-president of the House of Commons, was the first to come forward. He represents a riding in Nova Scotia and is fluent in French.
During a press scrum upon his arrival at his party’s caucus meeting, Mr. d’Entremont explained that he wants there to be more “decorum” in the House and “respect” between parliamentarians. . He also indicated that he wants to “reform” question period so that elected officials are “less partisan” and that it also includes “answers.”
Another element that he intends to revisit: the way in which checks are carried out on people invited by the Chamber. This research must no longer be “just” for “security issues”, but also for political reasons, he declared.
And to his leader, Pierre Poilievre, who spoke of the “liberal president” Anthony Rota, Mr. d’Entremont responds that presidents, including Mr. Rota, are not partisan.
Liberals and a New Democrat
Alexandra Mendès, the MP for Brossard — Saint-Lambert, a riding in the southern crown of Montreal, also informed the Liberal caucus on Wednesday that she will be in the running, her office confirmed to The Canadian Press.
Mme Mendès, who has been deputy deputy speaker of the House of Commons for four years, had run for president in 2021, but was not victorious.
The elected official declined an interview request. In a written statement provided to The Canadian Press, she insists that her years as vice-president taught her “how much experience, knowledge and humor are an important part of the job.”
“I am passionate about parliamentary procedure and the rights of parliamentarians,” she writes. And I have loved these last four years listening to the many voices that represent our country! »
The MP for Hull-Aylmer, in Outaouais, Liberal Greg Fergus, then announced his intention to be a candidate as he left his party’s caucus meeting.
In a brief press scrum, he said he believed the rules and traditions of the House of Commons that encourage “frank and passionate debate” could be improved.
“Each of the 338 MPs has the right to be in the House, to express themselves and not to be intimidated, and to make sure that they can express themselves freely,” he said in the scrum Press.
New Democrat Carol Hughes, another assistant vice-president of the House of Commons, announced her candidacy late in the afternoon in a letter to all MPs.
Mme Hugues, a Franco-Ontarian, explains that her positions in recent years have prepared her for this responsibility, as has the experience in dispute resolution acquired in the union movement before entering politics. “I learned to focus on what people have in common rather than what divides them,” she says.
But above all, Mme Hugues believes that after forty years where men have held the presidency, “it is time” for the chair to be occupied by a woman.
“Some of you weren’t even born when Jeanne Sauvé took her historic turn at the presidency,” she wrote. To date, she is not only the first, but the only woman to have served as president. »
The role of the Speaker is to impartially ensure that business in the House of Commons runs smoothly and that parliamentary rules are respected by all Members.
As is usually the case, no Bloc members have indicated their intention to run for president.
An interim sovereignist president
When Mr. Rota’s resignation takes effect at the end of Wednesday’s session, Bloc Québécois MP Louis Plamondon will become interim president until a new president is elected next Tuesday.
According to the rules of the House, the vote is done during a secret ballot where deputies must rank the candidates in order of preference.
The fact that a sovereignist will occupy the functions of president “amuses” Mr. Plamondon. “It annoys a lot of people. […] I get teased about that, actually,” he laughed in an interview with The Canadian Press.
Mr. Plamondon, who was first elected in 1984 in Bécancour — Nicolet — Saurel, is the dean of the House, which means that he is the oldest member.
He said he received a call on Tuesday while he was “simply at the restaurant having a little lunch” to inform him that the parliamentary leaders, faced with the “major problem” of a possible closure of the House, in the absence of a president, unanimously wanted to appoint him interim president.
In fact, the rules of the House specify that without a president, the vice president must preside over the election.
“But the vice-president said: “I’m going to be a candidate,” said Mr. Plamondon. The other vice-president says: “I’m going to be a candidate too”. The other vice-president was Mme [Alexandra] Mendes too, and she had been [candidate] last time, so it might be. »
Resignations of Speakers of the House of Commons are rare, but there are precedents. Presidents resigned in 1904, 1915, 1917 and 1984 to be appointed minister, senator or governor general. Another resigned in 1986 due to MPs’ indiscipline and the erosion of public respect for Parliament.
With information from Émilie Bergeron