Close X
Sunday, November 10, 2024
ADVT 
National

Speaker apologizes for message to former interim Ontario Liberal leader at convention

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 04 Dec, 2023 06:25 PM
  • Speaker apologizes for message to former interim Ontario Liberal leader at convention

House of Commons Speaker Greg Fergus apologized Monday, and is now facing calls to step down, after a video message he recorded to thank the departing interim leader of the Ontario Liberals was played at the provincial party's leadership convention on the weekend.  

Fergus delivered the apology in the House of Commons the day after Conservative House leader Andrew Scheer gave notice on Sunday that he planned to raise a question of privilege, given the Speaker is supposed to play an explicitly non-partisan role.

The Speaker said he was asked to record the message for an intimate gathering to honour Ontario Liberal MPP John Fraser, whom he called a long-standing friend. 

Fraser had served as interim leader of the provincial Liberal party since August 2022. That role came to an end with the election of Bonnie Crombie as party leader on Saturday.

Mathieu Gravel, a spokesman in the Speaker's office, clarified that a member of Fraser's family had been the one to ask Fergus to record a video message. 

At Queen's Park on Monday, Fraser told reporters there was a miscommunication to Fergus's office over when it would be played.

"That's on us," Fraser said Monday.

"I just deeply appreciated what Greg did, and what I would suggest to anybody who's being critical of the Speaker — watch the video," he added, defending the message Fergus gave as personal and non-partisan. 

Fergus, who represents the western Quebec riding of Hull-Aylmer across the river from Ottawa, told members of Parliament that he regrets the video was used in the way it was. He added that he is not a member of the Ontario Liberal Party and has not voted in the province for 30 years.

Carter Brownlee, a spokesperson for the Ontario Liberals, said Monday the party had nothing to add about the video. 

Fergus also defended his decision to film the message in the first place, saying that like other MPs, he is friends with people from across the political spectrum. 

"I have deep and abiding relationships with people from all political backgrounds," he said Monday. "It should not be seen as partisan to recognize a colleague's departure. It is an act of friendship and respect." 

He also said it will not happen again and that he will continue to value the principles of "impartiality" and "decorum."

Scheer did raise the question of privilege after Fergus apologized, and the Conservatives echoed a call from the Bloc Québécois asking the Speaker to resign.

In response to a question about the calls for Fergus to step down, Gravel said late Monday that the Speaker's office would not be commenting any further, given the matter is before the Commons.

Scheer, a former Speaker himself, said Monday that Fergus "greatly" undermined his office. 

"If we think, what would happen if an NHL referee appeared in a locker room for one of the teams, wearing his referee's outfit and giving a bit of a pep talk? How long do we think that NHL referee would continue in that post?" 

NDP House leader Peter Julian joined Scheer in calling for a parliamentary committee to study the incident, saying he was "dismayed" by the video since a Speaker is required to maintain impartiality at all times. 

"To take part while wearing his Speaker's robes in a video shot in this building makes the situation all the more clear."

Fergus was elected Speaker in early October after his predecessor, Liberal MP Anthony Rota, stepped down amid controversy. 

During Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's visit to Ottawa in September, Rota had recognized in the House of Commons a man who had fought for a voluntary unit created by the Nazis to help fight the Soviet Union during the Second World War.

 

MORE National ARTICLES

Judge says man who hit and killed two fellow UBC students should serve 3 years

Judge says man who hit and killed two fellow UBC students should serve 3 years
Provincial court Judge Glenn Lee told the court in Richmond, B.C., that Tim Goerner will still be young when his sentence is done and he can then spread a message to people about the dangers of drinking and driving. The court heard he had been drinking at a party before the high-speed crash that killed Emily Selwood and Evan Smith as they walked down a sidewalk on the university campus in the early morning hours of Sept. 26, 2021.

Judge says man who hit and killed two fellow UBC students should serve 3 years

Sex offender Randall Hopley removed his ankle bracelet to avoid court date: police

Sex offender Randall Hopley removed his ankle bracelet to avoid court date: police
Hopley, 58, is wanted on a Canada-wide warrant and has a history of convictions for assault, property offences and sexual crimes that include three offences against children. He was declared a long-term offender and handed a six-year prison term for the 2011 abduction of a three-year-old boy from his home in Sparwood in southeastern British Columbia.  

Sex offender Randall Hopley removed his ankle bracelet to avoid court date: police

Feds unlock public properties to build homes, say 29,200 units to be built by 2029

Feds unlock public properties to build homes, say 29,200 units to be built by 2029
The latest announcement, which also comes as Liberals face a major dip in the polls, puts the government on track to build about 29,200 homes on public lands by 2029. Procurement Minister Jean-Yves Duclos also said on Tuesday the Canada Lands Corp. is setting a new target to include at least 20 per cent affordable housing across its projects.  

Feds unlock public properties to build homes, say 29,200 units to be built by 2029

Group of 20-25 Canadians reaches Egypt, up to 80 could leave Gaza Tuesday: Ottawa

Group of 20-25 Canadians reaches Egypt, up to 80 could leave Gaza Tuesday: Ottawa
A first group of 20-25 Canadians looking to flee Gaza was able to leave on Tuesday, Global Affairs Canada has confirmed, as the government works to evacuate the rest of its citizens from the besieged Palestinian enclave.  Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly had confirmed earlier in the day that some Canadians had successfully departed. 

Group of 20-25 Canadians reaches Egypt, up to 80 could leave Gaza Tuesday: Ottawa

Body found in Surrey

Body found in Surrey
Surrey R-C-M-P say they were called to a residence in the 161-hundred block of 110 Avenue on Sunday. Officers found the deceased victim upon arrival and arrested one person, who has since been released.

Body found in Surrey

Immigration agent denies issuing fake admission letters to Indian students in Canada

Immigration agent denies issuing fake admission letters to Indian students in Canada
An immigration agent, accused of cheating several Indian students of tens of thousands of dollars by issuing fake college admission letters to procure study permits to Canada, has denied charges against him. Brijesh Mishra, who has been under arrest in a British Columbia jail since June, said he has been scapegoated by dozens of international students from India, the Toronto Star reported.  

Immigration agent denies issuing fake admission letters to Indian students in Canada