Francis Scarpaleggia vows to keep ‘sticks on the ice’ as new House Speaker
Vowing to “keep sticks on the ice” in the Commons as House Speaker, longtime Liberal MP Francis Scarpaleggia took over the top non-partisan role for the 45th Parliament with a pledge to maintain decorum after some MPs hit the penalty box in the last session.
On a voting day marked by a cordial and optimistic tone across party lines, Scarpaleggia (Lac-Saint-Louis, Que.) described himself to his MP electorate as an optimist, saying it’s possible to disagree “without invective or intimidation.”
“There’s nothing wrong with a clean, even board-rattling, polemical body-check in the corners,” Scarpaleggia said on May 26 before MPs submitted their secret, ranked ballots. “I’ve been at the receiving end of a few. Robust debate is fundamental to a robust democracy. A robust democracy makes for a resilient nation.”
But, he said, “the problem is when sticks go high,” seemingly taking a page from Prime Minister Mark Carney’s (Nepean, Ont.) electoral playbook in employing hockey metaphors.
“Canadians want to see sticks on the ice, and it’s the responsibility of the Speaker to make this so,” said Scarpaleggia, who was first elected in 2004, and has served three stints as Liberal caucus chair, including most recently between October 2019 and August 2021. During the last Parliament, he chaired the House Environment and Sustainable Development Committee.
Scarpaleggia defeated six other Liberal MPs who put their names forward for the job: former House speaker Greg Fergus (Hull–Aylmer, Que.), and Sean Casey (Charlottetown, P.E.I.), Alexandra Mendès (Brossard–Saint-Lambert, Que.), Robert Oliphant (Don Valley West, Ont.), and Sherry Romanado (Longueuil–Charles-LeMoyne, Que.).
Conservative MPs Chris d’Entremont (Acadie–Annapolis, N.S.) and John Nater (Perth–Wellington, Ont.) both originally put their names forward, but at the beginning of proceedings rose to withdraw their candidacy. This removed a scenario that could have benefitted the Liberals, as a Conservative Speaker would have allowed the Grits to hang on to a valuable vote in a minority Parliament and take some power away from the Opposition.
At 169 seats, the Liberal government is three MPs short of a majority, and a Liberal Speaker means they will need four votes from opposing parties to pass legislation, as the Speaker only votes in the case of a tie. The Conservatives have 144 seats, followed by 22 for the Bloc Québécois, seven New Democrats, and one Green MP.
Voting in a House Speaker officially opened the 45th session of Parliament as the first order of business, and the room was filled with a back-to-school buzz, with some MPs crowding for a chance to chat with Carney, who is among the more than 100 MPs taking their seat in the House for the first time.
Scarpaleggia said he has been on both sides of the aisle, in opposition when the future of the Liberal Party was uncertain, as well as the party in power for the past 10 years. He said his more than 20 years of parliamentary experience means he is prepared for “the challenge of finding the right balance between respect and order on the one hand, and vigorous debate that clarifies the issues on the other.”
He said politicians have “a duty to Canadians and to ourselves” to cultivate a parliamentary democracy “in an increasingly turbulent world where many argue that democracy is just too inefficient and time consuming.
“While our neighbour to the south may be modern day Rome in size and power, we are Athens in culture, values, and democracy. That is how we must see ourselves. That is who we must be.”
After Scarpaleggia took the Speaker’s chair, Carney spoke in the House of Commons for the first time.
“I have much to learn from members. I will make mistakes. I have no doubt you will call them out, for good reason,” he said. “Because this House has rules, it has traditions.”
Carney picked up on the comment made by Scarpaleggia to close his pitch for votes, agreeing that the House’s traditions are what “our Athenian democracy” was founded upon.
“We are Athens. They are Rome,” he said, before concluding his final comment in French. “We will prevail. We are in the Golden Age of Athens.”
Opposition Leader Andrew Scheer (Regina–Qu’Appelle, Sask.), who was House Speaker from 2011 to 2015, said the previous couple of sessions of Parliament had some trying times.
“We witnessed injuries from flying elbows, F-bombs dropped, and a few appearances of one member in a state of undress,” he said, jokingly adding, “I did hear CPAC was considering putting a warning on the daily broadcast: ‘may contain violence, coarse language, and nudity.’ So far they haven’t had to do that.”
He added some Speakers have been caught in their own scandals.
Fergus faced calls to step down as Speaker after expelling Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre from the House for calling then-prime minister Justin Trudeau a “wacko” and refusing to unconditionally withdraw the comment.
Fergus also faced calls to step down after an ad in his riding included partisan language against the Conservative Party. The Liberal Party of Canada apologized to Fergus for the ad.
The last Parliament was largely gridlocked, too, due to a privilege motion debate that started after Fergus ruled on Sept. 26, 2024, that the government violated parliamentary privilege by not fulfilling a House order to hand over all documents related to the now-defunct Sustainable Development Technology Canada.
Fergus’ predecessor Anthony Rota resigned in September 2023 after inviting a former Ukrainian soldier who fought in a Nazi division to a parliamentary address by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Yaroslav Hunka, Rota’s constituent, received two standing ovations before his connection to Adolf Hitler’s Waffen-SS was uncovered.
“I’ve heard it’s all gone downhill since the last time a Conservative was elected Speaker, but I couldn’t possibly comment,” Scheer—the last Conservative Speaker—said drolly.
He finished by saying debate should be passionate and lively as the lives of Canadians are changed by the decisions politicians make.
“It is normal members get enthusiastic and fiery. When the stakes are so high, the best thing to do is let the players play a bit. This is where government is held to account.”
The longest-serving MP in the Commons, the Bloc Québécois’ Louis Plamondon (Bécancour–Nicolet–Saurel–Alnôbak, Que.), chaired the House Speaker’s election. He was first elected in 1984, and offered some advice to new MPs after more than four decades on the Hill.
Speaking in French, he urged them to manage their emotions, especially frustration, and to only speak when they have something smart to say.
Respect for the Speaker declining ‘at an accelerating pace,’ says Casey
In his bid for re-election as House Speaker, Fergus said he was first elected in the second half of a minority Parliament at a time when tempers ran high and co-operation was low.
“It would have been difficult for anyone,” he said.
When he first began his Speaker duties, he asked to be treated like a new car, and to not get dinged up right away.
Now, he said, “there are a couple of dents, but I’m still running. I’m a reliable car with experience … The engine is strong and I know the road. Let’s go together.”
Casey, meanwhile, said decorum, civility, and respect for Parliament and the Office of the Speaker have “declined at an accelerating pace over the past decade.”
He said between 2003 and 2017, not a single MP was withdrawn for breaking parliamentary rules or disregarding the Speaker’s authority.
“Compare that to the last eight years, where nine members were kicked out for violating rules of debate, refusing to withdraw parliamentary language, failing to apologize for conduct, and defying the Speaker,” Casey said. “I’ve witnessed it all, and frankly, there should have been more expulsions.”
He said a lack of respect in Parliament has been used as a fundraising tactic, and “it’s not OK.”
He said he wanted to run for the role in order to restore trust in the House and its membership.
Oliphant, meanwhile, noted former House speaker Peter Milliken was in attendance. Milliken was an Ontario Liberal MP from 1988 until his retirement in 2011, and served in the coveted Speaker role for a decade beginning in 2001.
“To me, he embodied what it means to be a parliamentarian,” Oliphant said, recalling a time where he was in opposition and went “a bit too far.” Milliken reined him in by merely standing and raising his eyebrow, asking him to withdraw the offending comment.
Oliphant said he likes a spicy exchange, “but in the moment I felt like I had disappointed him, and I withdrew the remark.”
Several Speaker candidates noted one-third of the 343 Members of Parliament are first-timers.
All MPs are automatically considered candidates in the Speaker’s election unless they formally withdraw their names.
The Speaker is paid an additional $99,900 on top of the base MP salary of $209,800, and the position comes with other perks, like an official residence in the Gatineau Hills known as The Farm, or Kingsmere; a private apartment in the West Block; a chauffeur; and an office budget. The Speaker also travels abroad on interparliamentary missions, hosts receptions for diplomats and visiting heads of state, and regularly represents Canada on the international stage.
The House Speaker leads the team of deputy and assistant speakers, chairs parliamentary proceedings including the daily 45-minute Question Period when Parliament is in session, enforces rules and procedure, and maintains decorum. The Speaker does not participate in the House debates, and votes only if there’s a tie. House Speakers do not attend weekly national caucus meetings that take place on the Hill every Wednesday morning when the House is sitting.
—with files from Abbas Rana and Jesse Cnockaert
mglass@hilltimes.com
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