Greg Fergus will stay on as Speaker as Tories continue calling for him to resign

OTTAWA — The House of Commons has voted to let Greg Fergus keep his job as Speaker, nearly two months after the Conservatives and Bloc Québécois called for him to resign. 

Those calls came after Fergus was shown giving a video tribute to the outgoing interim leader of the Ontario Liberals at a party event in December. 

Fergus was wearing his Speaker robes and recorded the video in his office, and opposition MPs said that led them to question his impartiality in the House. 

The House procedure and affairs committee studied the issue before the holidays.

Liberal and NDP members of the committee recommended that Fergus stay on as Speaker, apologize and pay back Parliament for using its resources to make the video.

The Conservatives tried to send the issue back to the committee, saying they learned since the study that Fergus engaged in other partisan activities as Speaker.

That proposed amendment was voted down in the House of Commons on Tuesday.

Fergus maintained during his testimony at the committee in December that he did not know the video was to be played at a public Liberal party event. 

He also apologized to MPs and asked for a second chance, saying making the video was an error in judgment. 

The NDP has warned that he will not get another reprieve if something similar happens again.

The committee called for the creation of clear guidelines for Speakers about the impartiality of their role after hearing evidence from the chief clerk of the House that very little information was available in the standard briefing book for new Speakers.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 30, 2024.

The Canadian Press