Before they came right out and declared that Anthony Rota was no longer fit to serve as Speaker of the House of Commons, Rota’s fellow Liberals publicly encouraged him to “reflect.” That reflection eventually led him to the inevitable conclusion that he had to step aside — and to a foundational reason for doing so.
“The work of the House is above any of us,” Rota said.
If nothing else, Rota at least left Parliament with that principle to consider. It’s only unfortunate that an international embarrassment was his reason for mentioning it.
But when MPs convened on Tuesday morning to elect a new Speaker — probably the most closely watched election of a Speaker since the first one in 1986 — there was general agreement that the moment was a delicate one.
“Canadians are currently going through a lot and looking for stability and strong leadership at the core of our country’s democracy,” Conservative MP Chris D’Entremont said.
Green Party Co-leader Elizabeth May spoke of “the tragedy that unfolded in this place” a week and a half ago. NDP MP Carol Hughes told her fellow members that they found themselves “at a unique moment in the history of this House.” Liberal MP Greg Fergus, who would soon become the 38th Speaker, told MPs that “what brought us here today requires a response.”
“Words matter. Symbols matter. This, I know,” he said. “As your Speaker, I will restore, and quickly bring back, the honour to this chamber.”
But the memory of Rota’s final hours in the chair wasn’t the only thing hanging over Tuesday’s proceedings.
Parliament’s challenges don’t end with Rota’s resignation
Rota’s resignation appears to have been almost unique in one aspect — it was the first time since 1878 that a Speaker had felt compelled to step aside because of a personal controversy. But Tuesday’s election of a new Speaker was only the latest occasion for MPs to interrogate the way they speak and behave on the floor of the House of Commons.
“The level of respect for Parliament and the office of the Speaker has taken an incredible beating in this session of Parliament,” Liberal MP Sean Casey said. “Especially in question period, and it does not need to.”
Casey, who competed for the position of Speaker against Fergus, does not seem inclined toward niceties and he was straightforward in his account of question period and in his offer to MPs.
“A vigorous and relentless prosecution of an issue is not made stronger by the repeated flouting of the rules of this place or by defying the Speaker. It denigrates this institution and all of us, its temporary occupants. I believe it is time for a reset,” he said.
If MPs were willing to be part of a “collective effort to restore public confidence in the way we treat each other and the rules of Parliament,” Casey said, then he would be “honoured to lead that cause.” But if members were “comfortable with the current state of decorum and level of respect for the office of the Speaker,” he said, he did not want their vote.
WATCH: MP Sean Casey makes his pitch to be chosen as next Speaker