House of Commons chaos a symptom of a past-expiry Parliament, not just Speaker’s judgment, say politicos

The Speaker of the House of Commons is once again facing calls to resign from two parties in the Chamber following a raucous Question Period last week that saw two Conservatives—including the leader of the official opposition—ejected. But political observers say that addressing the real issue at the heart of the increasing erosion of decorum may not require a new Speaker, but an entirely new Parliament. On April 30, during an unusually contentious Question Period, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre (Carleton, Ont.) was named by Speaker Greg Fergus (Hull–Aylmer, Que.) after refusing to only withdraw his comments calling Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (Papineau, Que.) a “wacko,” rather instead attempting to withdraw and replace that word with “radical” and “extremist.” The Speaker gave Poilievre four opportunities to "simply withdraw" his comments before naming him and ordering his departure from the Chamber for the rest of the day. The tension had quickly ratcheted up during that day's Question Period, with Trudeau taking early shots at Poilievre over his impromptu pit stop to meet with anti-carbon tax protestors on the New Brunswick–Nova Scotia border, and accusing Poilievre of “shameful, spineless leadership,” and shaking hands with “white nationalists” to court their support. Following Poilievre’s removal, the entire Conservative caucus left their seats and followed Poilievre out of the Chamber. Many tweeted their dissatisfaction immediately from the lobby, focusing their attacks on drug decriminalization in British Columbia. While the Conservatives have previously mounted fundraising campaigns following the expulsion of caucus members from the House, including MP Raquel Dancho (Kildonan–St. Paul, Man.) in December 2022, this time the Liberals also got in on the action. That evening, Parker Lund, the Liberal Party's director of communication, posted to X that the party's fundraising email following Poilievre's ejection had become that month's single best fundraising effort "in just over an hour." Bluesky Strategy Group's Jordan Paquet says Speaker Fergus 'didn't do himself any favours' by not allowing Poilievre to reframe his comments as he had offered to Trudeau. The Hill Times photograph by Stuart Benson In an emailed response to The Hill Times on May 3, Lund said that while the party doesn't disclose internal fundraising figures, the fundraising email was "the best of 2024 so far." On May 1, both the Conservatives and Bloc Québécois called for Speaker Fergus to resign. The Conservatives argued that Fergus had behaved in a partisan and biased way by ordering Poilievre to be removed, but allowing unparliamentary language from Trudeau. While Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet (Beloeil–Chambly, Que.) had commended Fergus for using “common sense” following Poilievre's removal, the next day, Bloc House Leader Alain Therrien (La Prairie, Que.) said Fergus should resign because of his inability to manage the House. In an interview with The Hill Times, Conservative pundit Jordan Paquet, a senior consultant with BlueSky Strategy Group, said it was less a question of whether Fergus could still manage the House, and more an issue of a Parliament well past its best-before date. Paquet, a former principal secretary to then-Conservative interim leader Rona Ambrose, said that in previous instances of a Parliament as dysfunctional as this one, the remedy would be to call an election and create a new one. However, as a matter of “political survival,” neither the Liberal government nor the New Democrats supporting them with the supply-and-confidence agreement could afford to call an election now. Unfortunately, whether an election is called tomorrow or in October 2025, all parties are already on a pre-election footing, Paquet said, adding he expects the Chamber to be increasingly “raucous” until the House is finally dissolved. While Paquet said the Speaker is not entirely to blame for the difficulty of presiding over this House of Commons, he said Fergus had not done himself any favours with his handling of the April 30 Question Period, particularly given the previous issues that have arisen since he took up the chair. “I think people were willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, but is somebody who was serving as parliamentary secretary, so it was tough for people to see him as non-partisan, even if he entered with good intentions,” Paquet explained. However, Paquet said that the benefit of the doubt was quickly strained, initially when Fergus delayed a Question Period early in his tenure as Speaker attempting to deliver a speech on decorum, and then again last December following the controversy regarding a video he filmed that was used during an Ontario Liberal convention. In the video filmed in his office, Fergus appeared in his Speaker’s robes, thanking outgoing Ontario Liberal interim leader John Fraser for his friendship, and reminiscing about their time working together for the party to elect former Ontario premier Dalton McGuinty. Bloc Québécois House leader Alain Therrien says the House Speaker should resign because of his inability to manage the Chamber. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade On Dec. 4, 2023, Fergus apologized to the House of Commons, telling MPs that he had been told the message would be “non-political” and intended for an “intimate gathering,” and was not aware it would be shown at the convention. However, that apology was not enough for either the Bloc Québécois or the Conservative Party, which both called for Fergus to resign as Speaker. Following a brief study, the Procedure and House Affairs Committee recommended Fergus issue another apology and pay a fine. On Feb. 29, MPs on the Board of Internal Economy unanimously agreed to fine Fergus $1,500 for using House of Commons resources to make the video. Paquet said that while it was the Speaker’s job to respond to issues of decorum and disrespect during proceedings, in the context of a chair who did not enjoy the confidence of nearly half the House of Commons, it would be incredibly difficult for his decisions to be seen as legitimate. Paquet also said there was a perception of inequity in the way Fergus dealt with Poilievre's comments and those of Trudeau. If Fergus had allowed Poilievre to reframe his comments as he had offered Trudeau the chance to do with his “spineless leadership” comment, Paquet said he believes “we wouldn’t still be talking about it today.” “I think he may have already been irked because someone else had just challenged him,” Paquet said. Prior to Poilievre's removal on April 30, Conservative MP Rachael Thomas (Lethbridge, Alta.) was also named and asked to leave the House after calling Fergus’ handling of the day’s proceedings “disgraceful” following Trudeau’s “spineless" comment. Conservative MP Rachael Thomas arrives in the House of Commons foyer before Question Period on May 1, 2024. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade On May 1, Thomas challenged Fergus’ decision, arguing that her privileges as an MP had been violated since she had been removed despite withdrawing her comments. Thomas pointed to the unofficial transcript from the previous day, which indicated that she had withdrawn her comment before being removed. However, the official Hansard transcript did not include her withdrawal. In response, Fergus asked Thomas to “share all information that she would like to have the speakership evaluate,” and that it would do so with “extreme importance.” While his handling of Thomas’ removal and the subsequent removal of Poilievre can simply be attributed to human error, “it didn’t do Fergus any favours" in improving his legitimacy as an “independent referee” in the eyes of the Conservative caucus. “He has to be extra careful going forward,” Paquet said, adding that even an unimpeachable performance from Fergus from now on may not be enough to remedy the underlying malady afflicting the functioning of Parliament. “At the end of the day, Parliament has to function, and if it can’t, that’s what an election is for,” Paquet said. “I don’t think there will be one anytime soon, but it seems like that may be the only thing that could fix most of this.” Olivier Cullen, a senior adviser with Summa Strategies and former chief of staff to Indigenous Services Minister Patty Hajdu (Thunder Bay–Superior North, Ont.), said that while he had the “utmost respect” for Fergus, it was undeniable that the Speaker had lost control. “When the heckling is aimed at the Speaker rather than through him, he’s lost control,” Cullen said. Summa Strategies' Olivier Cullen says that while he agrees Speaker Fergus has lost control of the house, the list of willing volunteers who could replace him is very short. Photograph courtesy of X However, Cullen challenged the idea that Fergus had been given a completely good-faith reception. He said that despite Fergus’ legitimate errors in judgement early on, he doesn’t believe those mistakes were grave enough to warrant the Conservatives’ “collective distrust.” “He has lost confidence in the House, but the loss of confidence is based on partisan jabs; it’s not based on reality,” Cullen explained, noting that if Fergus were to become the second Speaker to resign in less than a year, the list of potential, willing replacements would be sparse. “If I’m sitting as a Liberal backbencher, I wouldn’t be interested in that because you know exactly what will happen,” Cullen explained. “They’ll put you under a microscope, and watch your every single move and word you say. And as soon as there’s one slip, well, that’s the third Speaker down.” While Cullen said he doesn’t believe there is a way to go back to the days before quick social media soundbites and controversy-fuelled fundraising efforts, he agreed with Paquet that there is a way forward after an election. However, much of that depends on who is elected to that new Parliament, and what kind of politicians they want to be. “The only way forward is if there’s some concerted effort by people who want to change this behaviour to put their hand up to run because we’re not going backwards,” Cullen said. sbenson@hilltimes.com The Hill Times

House of Commons chaos a symptom of a past-expiry Parliament, not just Speaker’s judgment, say politicos

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House of Commons chaos a symptom of a past-expiry Parliament, not just Speaker’s judgment, say politicos

Whether or not Speaker Fergus' difficulties in presiding over the House of Commons are entirely his fault, 'Parliament has to function, and if it can’t, that’s what an election is for,' says Conservative pundit Jordan Paquet.

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