The Conservatives have moved a motion in the House of Commons for the removal of House Speaker Greg Fergus, saying he “betrayed” his role’s tradition of impartiality.
The matter was raised as a question of privilege in the House last week by Tory MP Chris Warkentin. Deputy House Speaker Chris d'Entremont made a ruling on the matter on May 27, which allowed Mr. Warkentin to table his motion.
“Quite clearly, it is in the interest of the whole House to resolve this particular matter quickly and with all due seriousness. As a result, I find that a prima facie question of privilege exists in this case,” said Mr. D'Entremont.
The motion tabled by Mr. Warkentin accuses Mr. Fergus of “ongoing and repetitive partisan conduct outside of the Chamber,” saying it’s “a betrayal of the traditions and expectations of his office and a breach of the trust required to discharge his duties and responsibilities.” If adopted, the Speaker would have to vacate his role in the coming days.
The Bloc Québécois has stated it also wants to see the Mr. Fergus’s removal.
“The Speaker is a distraction that Parliament cannot afford,” Bloc MP Luc Desilets said during debate on the Tory motion on May 27. “The Speaker is supposed to be the picture of impartiality in the House, so we are asking, for a second time, for the Speaker to step down.”
Mr. Desilets noted this is the third time Mr. Fergus has been involved in partisan activities since being elected in late September.
The Speaker previously came under scrutiny in late 2023 for providing a video of himself in full Speaker garb addressing the Ontario Liberal Party convention, and for speaking of his time as a Young Liberal during a speech in Washington, D.C.
The latest issue relates to a Liberal Party event titled a “Summer Evening with the Honourable Greg Fergus,” scheduled for June 4. The event was organized by the party association of Hull-Aylmer riding, which Mr. Fergus represents.
Text announcing the event on the Liberal Party website, which has now been removed, accused Mr. Poilievre of proposing “reckless policies.”
Mathieu Gravel, a spokesperson for the Speaker and the House of Commons administration, defended the event.
“The Speaker’s office had discussed this event with the Clerk of the House of Commons, who raised no concerns since this event is taking place in Mr. Fergus’s riding, which is permitted,” he told The Epoch Times via email. Mr. Gravel added the text on the party website had not been approved by Mr. Fergus’ team.
Liberal Party National Director Azam Ishmael wrote an open letter to Mr. Fergus posted on the X platform to apologize for the language used in promotions for the event.
Mr. Warkentin has cast doubts on that version of events, saying “nothing checks out” based on his understanding of local politics.
“Nothing gets fed to the party without somebody at the local level sending it there. The event was clearly a decision of the local folks,” he said.
Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal MP and parliamentary secretary to the Government House Leader, accused Conservatives of not respecting the institution of the Speaker and said they had never supported Mr. Fergus.
“It was not because of anything that happened from the moment that he was elected as Speaker to today, but because they did not vote for the Speaker,” he told the House during debates.
With the Tories and Bloc on one side and the Liberals on the other, the NDP will decide the fate of Mr. Fergus in a vote to take place later on May 28.
NDP MP Lindsay Mathyssen told the House during debates she doesn’t support the Tory motion.
“Was there a mistake made? Absolutely. Is it horribly unfortunate? Absolutely. Are we punishing the right person in this instance? No,” she said.
