Canadian members of Parliament elected Liberal MP Francis Scarpaleggia as the Speaker of the House of Commons as their first order of business following the return of Parliament.
Scarpaleggia was dragged to the front of the House of Commons by Prime Minister Mark Carney and interim Opposition Leader Andrew Scheer as part of the tradition when a new Speaker is named.
After Conservative lawmakers John Nater and Chris d’Entremont, the latter of whom was the previous deputy Speaker, withdrew their names from consideration, Scarpaleggia was up against five other Liberal colleagues. “I would remind members that we are at the beginning of a mandate in the selfish hope that you will afford me a little grace period,” Scarpaleggia, an MP from the Montreal area, said. “I have few words because well, we all have things we want to accomplish and we’ve been away.” In his first official act as Speaker, Scarpaleggia asked MPs to observe a moment of silence for the victims of the Lapu Lapu Day festival tragedy in Vancouver, where 11 people were killed and dozens of others were injured in April. In addition, Liberal MPs Sean Casey, Alexandra Mendes, Rob Oliphant, Sherry Romanado, and former Speaker Greg Fergus put their names forward. Green Party Leader Elizabeth May also backed out of the running because she is the only party MP and would be At the time, the House did not observe a moment of silence because the federal election was in progress. Since 2004, Scarpaleggia has been an MP for the Quebec riding of Lac-Saint-Louis, and he has been re-elected in every election since. The 67-year-old has been on a number of committees in previous parliaments, including as chair of the standing committee on environment and sustainable development in the previous one. From 2011 to 2021, Scarpaleggia also presided over the National Liberal Caucus. That long-standing time in office was noted by Carney in his first remarks in French in the House of Commons, saying his election showed the respect members had in Scarpaleggia.Scheer also remarked on Scarpaleggia’s election to the role, extending his party’s best wishes in his speakership.
In minority parliaments, which can become raucous and disrupt the government’s agenda, the Speaker is critical to the smooth operation of the chamber. The position is expected to be non-partisan and entails overseeing the day’s proceedings, ruling on complaints of MP privilege violations or procedural violations, and generally enforcing decorum and behavior.
Liberal MP Francis Scarpaleggia elected as House of Commons Speaker
