House of Commons Speaker Greg Fergus will once again face a vote seeking to oust him after the deputy Speaker ruled that allegations of partisan behaviour require urgent attention.
This stems from a May 21 question of privilege raised by Alberta Conservative MP Chris Warkentin over allegedly partisan advertising used ahead of a constituency event hosted by Fergus.
In his ruling, Deputy Speaker Chris D’Entremont said he “did not expect” to have to rule on a question of privilege involving the Speaker.
“In ruling on this matter, I would like to clarify that I am not passing judgment on the alleged facts but rather on the priority these allegations should be given,” D’Entremont said Monday.
“Quite clearly, it is in the interest of the whole House to resolve this particular matter quickly and with all due seriousness. As a result, I find that a prima facie question of privilege exists in this case.”
The advertising for the event included a political attack on Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, saying his “reckless policies” would risk the health, safety and pocketbooks of Canadians.
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“The Speaker has demonstrated countless times that he is unfit to be a non-partisan Speaker. He is a very effective partisan Liberal. We have lost trust in his ability to govern this place,” Warkentin said Monday.
The language in the event details was automatically included based on a template for events posted to the website, said Liberal spokesman Parker Lund.
He said a miscommunication between the party and Fergus’s riding association led to the wrong text being put on the event’s details.
In response to Warkentin, Manitoba Liberal MP Kevin Lamouroux accused the Conservatives of “having it in” for Fergus.
“From day one, the Conservatives have actually not supported the Speaker. I find that unfortunate,” Lamoureux said Monday.
For the vote to oust Fergus to be successful, the Conservatives would need the support of both the NDP and the Bloc Quebecois.
It is not expected that the NDP will support the motion as during debate on May 21, NDP House Leader Peter Julian challenged Warkentin’s “interpretation of events” and instead called on the Liberal Party to apologize to Fergus.
The Bloc joined the Conservative call for Fergus’ resignation last Tuesday.
This will be the second time Fergus faces a vote to remove him from the Speaker’s office. The first took place in December after Fergus recorded a tribute video for outgoing Ontario Liberal interim leader John Fraser, while wearing his official robes inside the Speaker’s office.
— with files from The Canadian Press
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