‘Easily the stupidest’: Tories and NDP throw mud at arguments over speaker neutrality

A third member of the House of Commons leadership team is in the spotlight as accusations circulate following allegedly biased online posts depicting MPs sitting in the Speaker’s chair.

Arguments over the neutrality of the speakers – and the hypocrisy of the parties – dominated the period leading up to the summer break in parliament.

The Conservatives are chiding the NDP for listing Deputy Speaker Carol Hughes’ title on the party’s website near the donation buttons and for announcing her election to the position in a press release nine years ago.

The Tories expressed these concerns in response to the NDP’s own questions about the impartiality of the deputy speaker, a Conservative MP.

Chris d’Entremont insisted he had no idea a photo of him in marshal’s robes was being used to advertise a Conservative equestrian event on social media, and promised the post would be deleted.

This, in turn, came after Speaker Greg Fergus survived a third attempt by conservatives to remove him over a post advertising a summer barbecue event that featured partisan language.

There is no end to the veritable carousel of dubious, partisan snipers towards Speakers of all stripes.

The Liberal Party apologized to Fergus for the post advertising his attendance at the event, but his office did not approve it. The motion to remove Fergus was defeated in the House of Commons, with the NDP and Liberals voting against.

As the House debated d’Entremont’s position late Thursday night, Tory deputy House Speaker Luc Berthold encouraged NDP members to “get their affairs in order.”

He then detailed concerns about the way Hughes is represented on the party’s website, and then argued that the complaint against d’Entremont was nothing more than a “petty, short-sighted partisan attack.”

NDP House Leader Peter Julian, who earlier this week accused the Tories of being part of a “disturbing trend” of contempt for Speakers, was none too pleased with Berthold’s intervention.

“I have been in this House for 20 years and this is certainly the stupidest issue of privilege I have ever seen,” he said.

The Speaker – in this case Fergus – stood up and asked Julian, whom he described as an “experienced member”, to withdraw his comment.

Julian did so, said, “I’m not even going to dignify that with an answer,” and went back to accusing the Tories of double standards.

He said that just as the Liberal Party apologized, the Conservative Party should apologize for d’Entremont’s position.

“In both cases, as parliamentarians, we should consider the matter closed.”

The Conservatives did not immediately respond to questions about whether the party planned to apologize to the deputy speaker.

Julian apparently couldn’t resist ending with a parting shot: “I would advise my Conservative Party colleagues to start behaving like adults” – after which Fergus said he would take it all into consideration, and the House calmly resumed legislative debate.

In Friday’s interview, Julian accused conservatives of using the role of speaker for political purposes.

He said the NDP merely mentioned the indiscretion involving d’Entremont to highlight the double standard.

He is concerned that the accusations against those holding the chair threaten the institution of the role of speaker in the House of Commons.

But the one bright spot in this spat is that it has brought a much sharper focus to the rules about what the Speaker can and cannot do, he said, which will likely help preserve the integrity of the role in the future.

“It’s OK for the Speaker to fundraise in his own district and also in other districts,” Julian said Friday.

“But they cannot exploit the House’s trappings of this position, and they certainly cannot be partisan in their approach to this position.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 31, 2024.

Canadian Press