(Ottawa) A new attempt by the Conservatives to remove the Speaker of the House of Commons from office failed on Tuesday. They believe that Greg Fergus, who must be neutral, is biased despite the apologies presented last week by the Liberal Party of Canada (PLC). The publication of an invitation intended for activists in his riding denounced the “thoughtless policies” of Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre.
The New Democrats joined the Liberals to defeat the motion with 168 votes. The Conservatives and the Bloc supported it with 142 votes. It is therefore approximately half of the chamber which has lost confidence in its referee.
“You are a disgrace,” we heard in English on the floor of the House of Commons immediately afterwards.
The vote came nearly a month after Mr. Poilievre was expelled by the speaker of the House for calling Prime Minister Justin Trudeau a “crazy” and “extremist” during a question on decriminalization drugs.
Earlier in the day, Conservative efforts to get Mr. Fergus to admit that he was biased while testifying before a parliamentary committee had failed.
“It would not be appropriate for me to comment on something that is before the House,” he responded several times as part of a study on the policy to prevent violence and harassment in the workplace which supervises the work of deputies.
He offered the same answer to journalists who asked him earlier if he should resign. What does he say to elected officials who say they have lost confidence in him?
“I would ask them to judge me on the decisions I make and I think all the decisions I have made so far are considered entirely appropriate,” he replied.
Mr. Fergus has been in the hot seat since last week after publishing an invitation to activists in his constituency who denounced conservative policies. The Speaker of the House of Commons, a member of the Liberal Party, is a member of Parliament for the riding of Hull-Aylmer, in Outaouais.
The LPC quickly apologized and indicated that the partisan language used in the invitation had been added without Mr. Fergus’s knowledge due to a lack of communication. This explanation did not satisfy conservatives, who launched a new attempt to replace him.
Alberta Conservative MP Chris Warkentin tabled a motion Monday after Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons Chris d’Entremont indicated he viewed the issue as a clear breach of parliamentary privilege.
In his motion, he writes that Mr. Fergus’s “continued and repeated partisan conduct” constitutes “a betrayal of traditions and expectations” with regard to the Speaker of the House, as well as a “breach of trust required to carry out tasks and responsibilities” related to this function.
A press release with the title “Greg Fergus found guilty of Liberal partisanship” was issued Monday by the office of the leader of the official opposition after Mr. d’Entremont had authorized the tabling of the motion and thus the debate.
In committee and during the debate in the chamber, Alberta Conservative MP Michelle Rempel Garner recalled the story of the elbow given by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in 2016 to the chest of NDP MP Ruth Ellen Brosseau as proof of his partisanship. The incident occurred during a melee on the floor of the House of Commons. She pointed out that at that time Mr Fergus had claimed that Msme Brosseau was exaggerating. He replied that it was rather the description given by other people that he found exaggerated.
“I’m not sure that if I brought you something, you would treat me fairly,” said Michelle Garner Rempel. […] And that is why I have lost confidence in your presidency. »
Several Cabinet ministers reiterated their confidence in Mr Fergus on Tuesday. “Look, it was an honest mistake. The party admitted this. I think we are moving on to something else,” summarized the Minister of the Environment, Steven Guilbeault.
“Dysfunctional Parliament”
“We have a dysfunctional Parliament,” said the leader of the Bloc Québécois, Yves-François Blanchet, at a press briefing on Tuesday, pointing out both the conservatives and the liberals. “We waste time with procedures and decisions. »
He called on elected officials to vote quickly on the future of the Speaker of the House without engaging in lengthy debates on the issue. The Bloc Québécois also questions the neutrality of Mr. Fergus.
The parliamentary leader of the New Democratic Party (NDP), Peter Julian, believes that this is a tactic by the Conservatives to monopolize the work of the House of Commons and thus delay the advancement of Bill C-64 on drug insurance.
“It’s recurring now,” he said. We saw Mr. Poilievre attack the Bank of Canada, attack the independent institutions of Parliament, and I find it extremely disturbing that the Conservatives seem to attack everything they do not control. »
This is not the first time that the impartiality of the Speaker of the House of Commons has been called into question since he has arbitrated parliamentary work. Calls for his resignation were also launched by the Conservatives and the Bloc Québécois last December after the broadcast of a video tribute to mark the departure of John Fraser from the leadership of the Ontario Liberal Party, during the convention in party leadership. He appeared there dressed in the toga of Speaker of the House of Commons.
The matter was referred to the House Internal Economy Office, which fined him $1,500. His participation in an activist cocktail in November also raised eyebrows.
Mr Fergus was elected Speaker of the House of Commons last October following the resignation of Anthony Rota following a standing ovation given to a former Nazi fighter during a visit by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.