In 2019, when the magazine Time had unearthed old photos showing Justin Trudeau sporting a blackface, Greg Fergus quickly came to the defense of the Prime Minister. Liberal MP for Hull–Alymer and co-founder of the Black Parliamentary Caucus, Mr. Fergus above all wanted to minimize his leader’s misstep. “Who among us hasn’t done something we regret?” » he said in reaction to the revelations of Time in the middle of the electoral campaign.
If Mr Fergus believed that his loyalty could translate into an appointment to the Council of Ministers after the elections, he was sadly disappointed. The accession of Mr. Fergus — first elected in 2015 by defeating NDP MP and former president of the Public Service Alliance of Canada Nycole Turmel — to the holy of holies seemed self-evident. His non-nomination in 2019, and again after the 2021 election, raised eyebrows among several of his colleagues on Parliament Hill. “You have a guy like Greg who did everything right within his party, and he was overlooked,” lamented Ontario NDP MP Matthew Green. I just don’t understand. This is truly unacceptable. »
The election of Greg Fergus as Speaker of the House of Commons last October was in some ways his consolation prize after having waited for eight years as a backbencher. Appreciated for his friendliness and good humor, Mr. Fergus saw his candidacy garner the support of Liberal and New Democrat MPs in a secret ballot. His consecration as President of the House was a great source of pride for this political junkie. As a teenager, he subscribed to transcripts of parliamentary debates before becoming president of the Young Liberals of Canada in the 1990s. His election as the first black Speaker of the House assured him a place in Canadian political history.
Elected in the wake of the departure of his predecessor, Anthony Rota, forced to resign after having paid tribute to a former Nazi fighter during the visit of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, last September, Mr. Fergus was committed to raising the level of debates in the House by demanding more discipline and decorum from MPs. If only he had been so demanding of himself.
Mr. Fergus became a president on borrowed time after failing in his duty of neutrality by recording a video praising the interim leader of the Ontario Liberal Party, John Fraser, which was shown at the party’s convention in Toronto in Beginning of the month. In this video, filmed in his offices, Mr. Fergus was dressed in his Speaker of the House toga. This was a flagrant lack of judgment on his part which undermined the position he holds.
Opposition parties were right to question Mr. Fergus’s impartiality. The Speaker of the House plays the role of arbitrator when the parties do not agree on the interpretation of parliamentary rules. All parties must have confidence in the person who occupies this key position. They must also be convinced that he has no prior bias and that he has a detailed knowledge of parliamentary procedure. Mr Fergus’ decision to record this video raised serious questions about his own understanding of his role in Parliament. Had he even thought about it before?
His decision to fly to Washington in the midst of a political storm surrounding his presidency was seen by many opposition MPs as a middle finger to them. Even though this trip had been planned for weeks, he should have canceled it. He preferred to be photographed alongside Nancy Pelosi rather than defend himself in front of Canadian MPs.
Summoned upon his return before the Procedure and House Affairs Committee, Mr. Fergus made his mea culpa. Recording the video was an error; he pledged never to repeat it. “Like anyone starting a new job, I’m learning on the job,” he offered by way of explanation. The NDP decided to give him a second chance by proposing that he pay a symbolic fine and issue a formal apology. The Conservatives and Bloc members, for their part, are fiercely attacking him. The Bloc members even refuse to address him with “Mr. President,” as is normal procedure in the House.
Fortunately for him, parliamentary work is now suspended for the holiday period. They will not resume until the end of next January. Mr Fergus can still hope that the calls for his resignation will run out of steam by then. Otherwise, he risks making history a second time by becoming the shortest-serving Speaker of the House.
Based in Montreal, Konrad Yakabuski is a columnist at Globe and Mail.