Commons Speaker Greg Fergus issued 13 apologies on Monday and asked the House Affairs committee to "move on" as MPs assessed his suitability for the Speaker position.According to Blacklock’s Reporter, 149 MPs called for Fergus to resign due to a breach of rules regarding impartiality.“I hope all Canadians can understand that if you do make an error and you can show some contrition and have a real view, a soul-searching view, put in place processes to make sure this doesn’t happen again, you can still make big mistakes and still have an opportunity to move on,” testified Fergus.“I know I messed up and I won’t do it again. Like anyone who starts a new job, I am working and learning on the job.”On October 3, Fergus was elected to the speakership with an annual salary of $287,400.Fergus appeared in his official robes during a video broadcast on December 2, which took place at his Parliament Hill office and was part of the Ontario Liberal Party convention.“Hey, buddy,” said Fergus.“Boy, we had fun. We had a lot of fun together through the Ottawa South Liberal Association, through Liberal Party politics.”The Commons Procedure and Practice guide forbids partisan activity by the Speaker. “The Speaker must always show and be seen to show the impartiality required to maintain the trust and goodwill of the House,” said the guide.“It was not a partisan video,” Fergus testified on Monday. “It was a very personal video.” Fergus is a former president of the Young Liberals of Canada and ex-national director of the federal Liberal Party but said he did “not want to talk about my past here because every time I do, it sounds like I am being partisan.”Liberal MPs expressed sympathy. “Do you think you have been treated differently as somebody who is a person of colour?” asked Liberal MP Taleeb Noormohamed (Vancouver Granville, BC). “That is not something I am able to pronounce on,” replied Fergus.Liberal Party members on the House Affairs committee stated they had received letters expressing support for Fergus.Liberal-appointed Senator Andrew Cardozo (ON) and former Liberal MP Frank Baylis (Pierrefonds-Dollard, QC) were the only letters.“I don’t know about you, but I think every single one of us in this room has made a mistake in their life,” said Liberal MP Sherry Romanado (Longueuil-Charles LeMoyne, QC). “It’s what we do with it. We apologize, we learn from it, we move on.”Conservative and Bloc Quebecois MPs have called for the resignation of Fergus.“How hard it is to stop doing something that is partisan?” asked Conservative MP Blaine Calkins (Red Deer-Lacombe, AB).“We can’t continue to trust you,” said Bloc Québécois MP Claude DeBellefeuille (Salaberry-Suroit, QC). “I don’t see how you see things rolling out given the current political context and having lost the confidence of half the House.”“By continuing in your role, by not comprehending the seriousness of the situation, you must understand we are creating a precedent here,” said DeBellefeuille. “We are lowering the standards for impartiality and judgment.”
Commons Speaker Greg Fergus issued 13 apologies on Monday and asked the House Affairs committee to "move on" as MPs assessed his suitability for the Speaker position.According to Blacklock’s Reporter, 149 MPs called for Fergus to resign due to a breach of rules regarding impartiality.“I hope all Canadians can understand that if you do make an error and you can show some contrition and have a real view, a soul-searching view, put in place processes to make sure this doesn’t happen again, you can still make big mistakes and still have an opportunity to move on,” testified Fergus.“I know I messed up and I won’t do it again. Like anyone who starts a new job, I am working and learning on the job.”On October 3, Fergus was elected to the speakership with an annual salary of $287,400.Fergus appeared in his official robes during a video broadcast on December 2, which took place at his Parliament Hill office and was part of the Ontario Liberal Party convention.“Hey, buddy,” said Fergus.“Boy, we had fun. We had a lot of fun together through the Ottawa South Liberal Association, through Liberal Party politics.”The Commons Procedure and Practice guide forbids partisan activity by the Speaker. “The Speaker must always show and be seen to show the impartiality required to maintain the trust and goodwill of the House,” said the guide.“It was not a partisan video,” Fergus testified on Monday. “It was a very personal video.” Fergus is a former president of the Young Liberals of Canada and ex-national director of the federal Liberal Party but said he did “not want to talk about my past here because every time I do, it sounds like I am being partisan.”Liberal MPs expressed sympathy. “Do you think you have been treated differently as somebody who is a person of colour?” asked Liberal MP Taleeb Noormohamed (Vancouver Granville, BC). “That is not something I am able to pronounce on,” replied Fergus.Liberal Party members on the House Affairs committee stated they had received letters expressing support for Fergus.Liberal-appointed Senator Andrew Cardozo (ON) and former Liberal MP Frank Baylis (Pierrefonds-Dollard, QC) were the only letters.“I don’t know about you, but I think every single one of us in this room has made a mistake in their life,” said Liberal MP Sherry Romanado (Longueuil-Charles LeMoyne, QC). “It’s what we do with it. We apologize, we learn from it, we move on.”Conservative and Bloc Quebecois MPs have called for the resignation of Fergus.“How hard it is to stop doing something that is partisan?” asked Conservative MP Blaine Calkins (Red Deer-Lacombe, AB).“We can’t continue to trust you,” said Bloc Québécois MP Claude DeBellefeuille (Salaberry-Suroit, QC). “I don’t see how you see things rolling out given the current political context and having lost the confidence of half the House.”“By continuing in your role, by not comprehending the seriousness of the situation, you must understand we are creating a precedent here,” said DeBellefeuille. “We are lowering the standards for impartiality and judgment.”
