The parliamentary session was not easy for the Speaker of the House of Commons, Greg Fergus. In less than a year in office, the latter has already survived three motions demanding his resignation, had to pay a $1,500 fine and chair sometimes chaotic debates.
“It’s sport,” he admits with a nervous laugh in an interview with THE Duty in the impressive Speaker’s office, just steps from the House of Commons.
Sitting at a long table in the center of the room with walls lined with books and portraits of famous politicians, Mr. Fergus reflects on the last few months, colored by events that cost him the confidence of nearly half of the MPs in the House. Bedroom.
The first incident dates back to November, less than two months after taking office, when the new president recorded a video to pay tribute to the outgoing interim leader of the Ontario Liberals, also a personal friend. He then wore the official attire of his functions in the office of the presidency.
The video, broadcast during a leadership convention of the Ontario Liberal Party, provoked indignation among opposition parties, who recalled the importance of the Speaker of the Commons remaining impartial.
“I apologized to the House of Commons. It was a mistake to film this video. It was supposed to be something private. But whatever. I shouldn’t have filmed it, period,” he regrets.
The one who represents the Hull-Aylmer region, in Outaouais, then promised to regain the trust of deputies as the holiday season approaches.
However, new partisan incidents have emerged, such as the recent publication of an invitation intended for citizens of his constituency, who criticized the policies of Pierre Poilievre’s party. The Liberal Party quickly apologized, saying the partisan message and language of the invitation had been used without Mr Fergus’ agreement.
The 55-year-old president, in whom trust was already weakened, recognizes that he could well have done without this third incident.
“I was disappointed that it happened,” he admits. I make enough mistakes myself. I don’t need someone to make mistakes for me. »
Although he is aware that the Conservatives and Bloc members ardently wish for his departure, he still intends to continue to occupy the chair until a majority of elected officials show him the door — even if this involves new calls for his resignation at the start of the parliamentary term.
“It’s part of the game “, he says, shrugging his shoulders.
The art of drawing the line
One thing is certain, the native Montrealer will have learned a lot since his election to the presidency which, let us remember, also took place in the middle of a media storm. Mr. Fergus took office on October 3 following the resignation of former Speaker of the House, Anthony Rota, who had invited a former Nazi fighter during the Ukrainian president’s visit.
Very quickly, the new president had to learn the workings of parliamentary procedures and define the sometimes vague limits of the provocative remarks made in the House.
“It’s an ongoing work to know where to draw the line. What is not acceptable one day may be acceptable another day. It’s an art rather than a science,” he believes.
Unlike the National Assembly, in Quebec, there is no guide that contains a list of non-parliamentary words and expressions in Ottawa. Rather, the president must take into account “the tone, manner and intention of the Member who uttered them, the person to whom they were addressed, the degree of provocation and the possible disorder they caused to the House”, specifies the research office of the House of Commons at Duty.
Mr. Fergus calls MPs to order almost daily, but his judgment was particularly tested on April 30, when the leader of the official opposition, Pierre Poilievre, called Prime Minister Justin Trudeau ” crazy” (wackoin English).
The Conservative leader having refused to withdraw his remarks four times, the Speaker made the decision to expel him from the House of Commons for the day, causing even more hubbub during question period.
Despite everything, this scene will have been a blessing in disguise, believes the president, who has observed a certain return to calm since the expulsion of the conservative leader.
“Since that moment, I find that all the deputies fall within the framework of what is acceptable,” he assesses.
” On both sides [de la Chambre], I find that there is less rowdiness. The elected officials may have understood that they have exceeded [les bornes]and if they continued like this for five weeks in a row, it was going to become unbearable,” he continues.
The Conservative leader has never repeated this episode again, but continues to play on the line by frequently using the term “crazy” to describe government policies.
“Crazy policies are different from an attack on the person,” judges Mr. Fergus. I think it’s happening, because we are in the process of [décrire] ideas. It’s important to have strong conflicts of ideas. This is also our parliamentary system. »
The end of a Parliament
The parliamentary year, which has just drawn to a close, will have been marked by a wave of threats and harassment towards elected officials, but also by denunciations of the toxic climate which is developing among elected officials themselves.
Liberal MP Pam Damoff notably announced her departure from politics, deploring that relations between elected officials in Ottawa had deteriorated due to a desire to clips and of likes on social networks.
“We are reaching the end of a Parliament. So there is a certain excitement in the air. Some MPs would like to go to elections, while others are thinking about their future in politics, so tension is growing,” admits Mr. Fergus.
The latter is not worried about excesses in the near future, but does not rule out being able to draw inspiration from more severe sanctions in force in other countries. The British parliament, for example, provides for the suspension of an MP for five working days without pay for a first offense, then for twenty days if he repeats it.
” I think that [nos règles] are working well at the moment. But we have to admit that we will have to see if this will be sufficient in the future. We’ll see,” he concludes.