In a historic development, Greg Fergus has been elected as the new speaker of Canada's House of Commons, marking a significant milestone as he becomes the first Black Canadian to assume this prominent role. This election followed the resignation of the previous speaker due to his inadvertent invitation to a former Nazi soldier to the Canadian Parliament.
In a secret ballot, members of the 338-seat House chose Fergus as their new speaker, favoring him over other candidates, including fellow Liberal MP Sean Casey, Conservative representative Chris d'Entremont, and Green Party leader Elizabeth May.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau expressed his admiration for this milestone, noting, "Today you're the first Black Canadian to become speaker." He emphasized that this achievement should serve as an inspiration to all Canadians, especially the younger generation aspiring to engage in politics.
The role of the House speaker entails serving as an impartial arbiter of parliamentary proceedings, with the responsibility of upholding order and decorum during debates. Typically, the speaker casts a vote only in the event of a tie and plays a ceremonial role as the institutional representative of the parliament.
Former speaker Anthony Rota, a member of the governing Liberal party, tendered his resignation last week, taking full accountability for mistakenly inviting Yaroslav Hunka, a 98-year-old Polish-born Ukrainian who had served in one of Adolf Hitler's Waffen SS units during World War Two, to the House. This invitation occurred when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy addressed the Canadian Parliament on September 22.
Unaware of Hunka's complete background, Rota publicly acknowledged him as a Ukrainian veteran and a hero who had immigrated to Canada. This led Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to issue a formal apology for the oversight last week.
It is noteworthy that the role of the House speaker comes with various privileges, including a substantial salary increase of nearly C$93,000 ($68,000) annually, in addition to the base salary of C$194,600 for a lawmaker. The speaker also gains access to an official country estate located in Quebec's Gatineau Hills.
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