Hughes on Headlines – New Speaker of the House
Algoma-Manitoulin-Kapuskasing MP Carol Hughes
Algoma-Manitoulin-Kapuskasing MP Carol Hughes
Speaker has a big role to play in parliamentary decorum
When Parliament begins to sit in earnest next week with all the pomp and ceremony of the throne speech out of the way, Canadians will be watching to see if the much-promised civility in the House of Commons comes to pass. While June 2nd was the first day all MPs gathered in the chamber, there was a bit of parliamentary housekeeping that had to be attended to that will directly affect the possibility of a more civil House.
The first order of business for any new Parliament is the election of a new Speaker. The longest serving MP runs this election and every MP has a vote. In the 41st installment of this tradition, 32 year old Andrew Scheer was elected to the chair. The Conservative MP from Saskatchewan follows Peter Milliken, the longest serving Speaker of the House of Commons in Canadian history. Scheer defeated seven other candidates, including New Democrat, Denise Savoie who survived to the last ballot, in order to become the youngest ever serving Speaker in Canadian history.
For those who may be unfamiliar, the Speaker of the House is a function of any British Parliamentary Democracy. As an officer of the House, the Speaker is required to remain impartial in his duties and only votes in tie-breaker scenario. The Speaker’s role is to interpret and enforce the rules of the House of Commons and to uphold the rights of the individual Members. In addition, the Speaker is also the head of administration in the House of Commons and serves as liaison with the Senate and the Crown.
The new Speaker has already promised to return order to the House of Commons. In his speech, he made reference to “toxic language,” which he plans to eliminate from House debates. By cracking down on the language in the House, he hopes to prevent members from being disrespectful to their colleagues.
New Democrat Leader Jack Layton has also committed to improving decorum in the House. He has noted that much of the heckling has been perpetrated by men and was sexist in nature. He hopes the NDP Official Opposition with a record number of women MPs will be more reserved in their reactions during the cut and thrust of parliamentary debate.
The Prime Minister has also indicated he expects MPs to raise debate to a higher standard that will require much of the partisan quibbling be abandoned. If he is able to keep his back-bench in line, it will be a first for the PM who is seen in all circles as being overly-partisan at every opportunity.
Ultimately, what will be accepted or even tolerated will be interpreted by the Speaker. With a generational change in the chair, hope is high that we may finally see a functioning parliament that focuses on issues and ideas, rather than character assassination and bellicose opportunism.
