No French-speaking Quebecer has occupied the seat of Speaker of the House of Commons since Jeanne Sauvé in the early 1980s. This time, two are in the running: the conservative Joël Godin and the liberal Alexandra Mendès, who could well become the second. woman to take place.
“I really like the procedure”, confides the member in interview, far from being intimidated by the thick volume of more than 300 pages which contains all the rules of the House of Commons. “I think it’s essential that we like it and apply it right. ”
All deputies will have to vote on Monday to elect their next arbitrator. The debates are sometimes heated and the person responsible for chairing them has the task of maintaining order, which requires great self-control.
The member for Brossard – Saint-Lambert, on the South Shore of Montreal, has already tasted it over the past two years as Assistant Vice-President.
PHOTO JOE ALVOEIRO, FROM ALEXANDRA MENDÈS FACEBOOK PAGE
Alexandra Mendès, Liberal MP for Brossard – Saint-Lambert
I was very surprised at how much I liked it. I found it to be a great way to get to know the country. We hear points of view everywhere.
Alexandra Mendès, Liberal MP for Brossard – Saint-Lambert
The Portuguese-born Quebecer was first elected in 2008. Thanked by voters for the benefit of her NDP rival during the 2011 orange wave, she re-entered Parliament in 2015.
If she is elected by her peers, Mme Mendes would become the first woman since Jeanne Sauvé to chair the debates. The former Governor General was then appointed by Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau in 1980 and held this seat until 1984.
“I think it is time that we had a woman elected to the presidency of the House”, affirms Mme Mendes, who wants to create a choir so that parliamentarians can sing in unison outside partisan debates.
At least five candidates, including another woman, will compete for the post at the opening of parliamentary proceedings on Monday. This is New Democrat Carol Hugues. The choice is now made through a preferential ballot. Rumor has it that ex-Green Party leader Elizabeth May is also interested in the presidency.
Behind the scenes campaign
Conservative MP Joël Godin spares no effort to convince other elected officials, all parties combined, to register him as the first choice. He says he has met with the New Democratic Party caucus, telephoned all Bloc members, talked to his Conservative colleagues and to a few Liberals.
PHOTO FROM JOËL GODIN’S FACEBOOK PAGE
Joël Godin, Conservative MP for Portneuf – Jacques-Cartier
It is important, at this historic moment, to put a president from the opposition following [l’élection] of this second minority government.
Joël Godin, Conservative MP for Portneuf – Jacques-Cartier
The election of a French-speaking Quebec president would send a welcome message after recent controversies over the language, he said. “It’s a platform to demonstrate the importance of one of the two official languages,” he points out.
The July appointment of Governor General Mary Simon, who does not speak French, sparked an outcry, as did the recent speech almost exclusively in English by Air Canada President and CEO Michael Rousseau.
Some of his opponents have criticized Mr. Godin for his partisan side, which he acknowledges.
When I am Speaker, I will be a supporter of defending the parliamentary rights and privileges of all members of Parliament.
Joël Godin, Conservative MP for Portneuf – Jacques-Cartier
On the thorny issue of vaccination of elected officials, he admits that he would have done things differently by inviting all parliamentarians to vote on the question, even if it means allowing virtual voting. His party wanted to challenge the decision taken by the Board of Internal Economy to require all elected officials to be vaccinated against COVID-19 to sit in person in the House of Commons.
The member, elected for the first time in Portneuf – Jacques-Cartier in 2015, has no shortage of ideas for modernizing parliamentary proceedings. As in the National Assembly, he would like a digital dial to replace the president’s finger signs so MPs would know how much time they have left when delivering a speech.
He would also like to introduce electronic voting permanently, which would save time. “It takes 45 to 50 minutes on average, an in-person vote,” he says. The 338 deputies must take turns to stand up to indicate whether they are for or against.
The election of the Speaker of the House of Commons will be the first item on the agenda on Monday. Tradition has it that the dean takes care of it. It is therefore the Bloc member Louis Plamondon who will oversee this secret ballot for the fifth time, a record.