Ballots being counted in vote to elect new House of Commons Speaker, 7 MPs vying for role
CTV
Members of Parliament have cast their secret ranked ballots to elect a new House of Commons Speaker, and officials are now tallying the results. It is a day for the Canadian political history books as Canada's 38th Speaker will be elected to lead the chamber as its impartial adjudicator after a time of international headline-grabbing acrimony.
Members of Parliament have cast their secret ranked ballots to elect a new House of Commons Speaker, and officials are now tallying the results.
It is a day for the Canadian political history books as Canada's 38th Speaker will be elected to lead the chamber as its impartial adjudicator after a time of international headline-grabbing acrimony.
The extremely rare mid-session Speaker election is on account of Anthony Rota's resignation last week over his errant and embarrassing invitation and recognition of a man who fought alongside the Nazis in the Second World War during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's address to Parliament.
Here are the seven MPs who are seeking the Speakership and the perks it comes with:
Just as the House began sitting on Tuesday, Liberal MP Stephane Lauzon, who had been on the list as of Monday evening, took himself out of the running. His decision followed a Liberal caucus meeting early Tuesday during which the important vote was discussed.
Taking turns making one last pitch to their peers about why they think they'd be best placed to be the next Speaker, one by one candidates rose to present brief speeches. The need for a reset and reprioritizing decorum were recurring themes.
"We can do better, and we must. If individual members are willing to be part of a collective effort to restore public confidence in the way we treat each other and the rules of Parliament, then I would be honoured to lead that cause. If, on the other hand, members are comfortable with the current state of decorum and level of respect for the office of the Speaker, please don't vote for me," Casey said.
