Canada’s House of Commons on Tuesday elected Liberal Party MP, Greg Fergus, as its new speaker, making him the first Black Canadian in that position.
Fergus, 54, is from Quebec province and was first elected into parliament in 2015.
The election took place after the sudden resignation of Anthony Rota, who stepped down last week due to his involvement with a Ukrainian man who served in the Nazi military unit during World War II.
Seven candidates had been in the race to replace Rota.
After the 338 MP’s elected Fergus through a secret ballot, he said although the House was a place for “passionate debate” he promised to lead with respect and encouraged his fellow lawmakers to respect each other.
“We will show them politics is a noble profession“. Canadians are watching, he noted.
Fergus called it “a great honour” to be chosen for the role.
“The speaker, to use the old hockey analogy, is nothing more than a referee,” Fergus said in his first speech from the chair. “And if there’s one thing I know, it’s that nobody pays good money to go see the referee. They go to see the stars: you.”
While Mr Fergus is the first black man to become Speaker in the House, Jean Augustine, the first black woman to be elected as a member of parliament in 1993, later went on to serve as deputy speaker briefly.
But despite some opposition, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre smiled as he and Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau held Mr Fergus’ arms to escort him to the Chair of the Speaker in a centuries-old tradition in which the new Speaker feigns an unwillingness to serve.
The tradition of escorting new Canadian Speakers to the Chair
The role of the Speaker in Parliament was once perilous, as they were blamed for delivering news the King didn’t like. Between 1394 and 1535, seven Speakers were executed by beheading, including Sir Thomas More during Henry VIII’s reign. This made Speakers minor political figures who risked their lives if they supported the wrong side. After 1560, monarchs stopped executing Speakers, and the tradition evolved into a lighter, symbolic act of physically hauling the newly elected Speaker to the House Chair, sparing their lives.
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