Conservatives call for Speaker to resign over planned partisan event

Speaker Greg Fergus is facing criticism over anti-Conservative language in an ad for an upcoming partisan event in his riding — and the Conservatives and Bloc Québécois are again calling for him to resign from his position as a neutral arbiter of House of Commons proceedings.

In a lengthy letter sent to Fergus on Tuesday, Conservative MP Chris Warkentin says an online posting for "A Summer Evening with the Honourable Greg Fergus" includes a line that takes aim at leader Pierre Poilievre — accusing him of pursuing Conservative policies "that would risk our health, safety and pocketbooks" while promoting a Liberal plan to "grow an economy that works for everyone."

The ad for the planned June event uses "very partisan, inflammatory language," the Alberta MP said.

"Your event is being promoted by attacking the very same leader whom you recently used your authority to kick out of the House of Commons, allegedly for his choice of wording," Warkentin said.

That's a reference to Fergus's decision to remove Poilievre from the Commons last month after he refused to retract a comment calling the prime minister and his policies "wacko." Warkentin said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also used tough language to describe Poilievre but faced no sanction.

The ad for the event has been pulled from the Liberal Party website but the Conservatives took a screenshot before its removal and disseminated it to the press on Tuesday morning.

Warkentin said the Speaker, as referee of the Commons, should be impartial at all times to sustain the confidence of MPs.

"You have failed at showing, and being seen to show, the impartially required of a Speaker; in turn you can no longer count on the trust and goodwill of members from all corners of this House," he wrote in his letter.

"I regret to say you must go," Warkentin wrote, saying anything Fergus does in the Commons going forward will have a "red tint."

If Fergus does not do the "honourable thing" and immediately resign, the Conservatives will press for his removal, the letter said.

This is just the latest instance of opposition MPs claiming Fergus has been too partisan for an office that historically has kept a healthy distance party politics.

Fergus has already apologized and been fined for taping a tribute video for a provincial Liberal leader while wearing his robes in the Speaker's office. He also held a fundraiser in his riding last fall.

Despite those past transgressions and this latest incident, Liberals and New Democrats rallied around Fergus Tuesday.

His position seems secure, at least for now, despite the vehement opposition of Conservative and Bloc Québécois MPs.