NDP interim leader Don Davies is pushing back against a report suggesting his party is open to taking on the role of Speaker of the House of Commons in exchange for additional parliamentary resources, calling the claim inaccurate and unsupported.“Ridiculous headline. Read the article — I said no such thing,” Davies said in a public response to the report. “Never heard of this proposal, no discussion of it, will never happen.”.The comments were directed at an article published Sunday that examined whether the New Democrats, reduced to seven seats following the recent federal election, could seek greater influence in a minority Parliament by supporting procedural arrangements with the governing Liberals.In a year end interview with CTV Question Period host Vassy Kapelos, Davies was asked about a hypothetical scenario in which the NDP might take on the Speaker’s role in exchange for additional resources after losing official party status. Davies said no such proposal had been put forward and stressed that the discussion was theoretical.“I think you have to be fluid. You have to be open. We haven’t had that proposal put to us, so I can’t say that we’ve given any consideration to it,” Davies said in the interview. He added that New Democrats would be willing to look at opportunities to “meaningfully participate” in Parliament, but emphasized that no talks had taken place..Following the election, the NDP fell below the 12 seat threshold required for official party status, resulting in fewer parliamentary resources and no guaranteed representation on House of Commons standing committees.The Liberals, meanwhile, sit one seat short of a majority after Ontario MP Michael Ma crossed the floor from the Conservatives last week. The Speaker of the House, currently Liberal MP Francis Scarpaleggia, only votes in the event of a tie, meaning a change in that role could affect the government’s voting math.Davies has said the NDP’s focus remains on advocating for additional resources for all opposition caucuses in a minority Parliament, rather than negotiating transactional arrangements with the government..“What we’ve been advocating for is resources for all the party caucuses, because we think that in a minority Parliament, all the caucuses need to be reliable partners and be able to participate meaningfully in the debate and discussion,” he said.He has also stressed that the party is not making commitments to the Liberals in exchange for support.“We’re not looking to enter into a transaction,” Davies said. “We’ll support legislation that we believe is right and we’ll oppose legislation that we think is wrong.”Parliament is scheduled to resume on Jan. 26, with several pieces of government legislation still unresolved following the fall sitting.
