An unusual election must be organized within the Federal Parliament itself to fill the seat of the resigning Speaker of the House of Commons, Anthony Rota. In a minority government situation, the secret ballot becomes unpredictable.
Combined, the opposition parties have more votes than the Liberals in Ottawa. This configuration “complexifies the succession” of the president, believes Éric Montigny, professor in the Department of Political Science at Laval University.
“Sometimes, when there is a minority government, in the past we have seen an opposition member chair the proceedings,” he recalls. The latter wonders if this will be the case this time. “If there is a consultation between opposition MPs to elect an opposition MP to the presidency, it is possible that that will happen. »
Mr. Rota will officially leave office on Wednesday evening. He was disowned by all parties in Ottawa for having invited Yaroslav Hunka, a former fighter in a Nazi unit during the Second World War, during the visit of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
His successor has not yet been announced. The leaders of the different parties in Ottawa were to meet Tuesday evening to determine the course of action for his replacement.
The resignation of Anthony Rota is “quite major in terms of parliamentary history”, indicates Mr. Montigny. The latter emphasizes that a Speaker of the House of Commons must have the confidence of the deputies in order to be able to exercise his functions.
All elected officials, except ministers and party leaders, can aspire to the presidency. They must even notify their colleagues in writing if they do not want to be part of the list of candidates.
This is a preferential ballot, which means that MPs rank their colleagues in order of preference.
A delicate but coveted position
The position of Speaker of the House of Commons is delicate, says Geneviève Tellier, professor at the School of Political Studies at the University of Ottawa. “In a minority government, there is a lot of partisanship. We need to find the right balance to maintain decorum, but not quibble with MPs too much. »
It is nevertheless a position that is rather coveted by MPs, explains Éric Montigny. It confers an important status to the person who occupies it, in addition to allowing him to make himself known to his parliamentary colleagues, he lists.
The Speaker of the House of Commons is also entitled to an official residence, namely the farm built on the Mackenzie-King estate, in Kingsmere, and converted by the former Prime Minister “into a comfortable all-season residence”. Anthony Rota’s resignation means he will soon have to look for a new place to live.
The Rotas will have difficulty finding a home of this size. Renovations begun in 1935 by the former head of state added “two staff bedrooms as well as further guest rooms, a library, a much more elegant entrance hall and elaborate plastering and mouldings” on the farm, according to the Directory of Federal Heritage Designations.
As a backbencher, Anthony Rota may also have to shop for a car. His role as president granted him a company vehicle with driver paid for from his office budget, set at $1,386,450 for the current year. He was also entitled to a $1,000 tax-free allowance for the use of a vehicle, in accordance with the Parliament of Canada Act.
He also received a bonus of $92,800 on top of his deputy salary.
As part of his parliamentary and ceremonial functions, the Speaker of the House could allocate a maximum sum of $221,832 in hospitality costs, or 16% of his budget. Anthony Rota also invited the 337 federal deputies and members of the Parliamentary Press Gallery to an open-air reception in his official residence on Tuesday evening.
However, the guests will no longer have to choose their street attire for the event: the resigning president undoubtedly no longer had the heart to party, the festivities were canceled.
With The Canadian Press