Commence the 42nd parliament

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There was general excitement, and MPs milled about, getting to know one another or to see colleagues they had not seen in some time. When the appointed hour arrived, there was a call to order, and the knock at the door from the Usher of the Black Rod, summoning MPs to the Senate. There, the Governor General’s deputy, Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin, awaited. MPs filtered out of the Chamber, headed down to the Other Place, where they were told that they wouldn’t be admitted until they had a Speaker. So back to the Commons they went.

Once they finally came to order after returning to the Commons, things got underway. The Dean of the House, Bloc MP Louis Plamondon, took the chair to preside over the election of the Speaker. This was his third time overseeing it, and he have a brief speech before the candidates rose, in alphabetical order, to make their case to become Speaker.

First up was Denis Paradis, who noted three pillars for the position of Speaker — procedure and decorum, the administration of the House and its services (particularly around security), and parliamentary diplomacy. Paradis made the case that with younger MPs having families, he wanted to adjust things to better accommodate them. He also made the case for committees sitting in other parts of the country. He then laid out his parliamentary record, and noted he has the second largest vineyard in Quebec.

Second was Yasmin Ratansi, the only woman candidate this time around. She started with a tribute to Mauril Bélanger, whose own candidacy for Speaker was cut short with his ALS diagnosis. She promised to balance of majority and minority rights, and made a joke about being the shortest of the candidates. She laid out her own parliamentary history, including as chair of the Procedure and House Affairs Committee, and pledged to follow the Westminster model in returning Parliament to a place of respect.

Third was Geoff Regan, who also gave mention to Bélanger before he noted that he has sat in all corners of the House, and been in every role, from backbencher to minister, and pledged a respect for a diversity of views. Regan felt that the Speaker should lead discussions on how to reform the Chamber, and that it would help make all of their work more meaningful.

Last was Conservative MP Bruce Stanton, who was a deputy Speaker in the last parliament. He first thanked his electors, and noted the rules which MPs put into place to conduct rules. He noted that the Speaker must implement those rules in a fair and even-handed way, and that he has the experience in doing so. He noted his continued mastery of French, and his time chairing committees.

With that, the Dean left the chair for 30 minutes before voting would begin, and warned them that the bells would only last five minutes — so don’t stray too far. When they returned, the ballots were distributed, and MPs lined up to vote in secret for the only time in any parliament. (That actually may change if they also elect committee chairs by secret ballot, as has been promised).

When the voting ended, and the ballots were counted, the MPs reassembled in the Chamber, where Plamondon announced that Regan was the new Speaker. Justin Trudeau and Rona Ambrose got to drag him to the chair, while he gamely pretended to resist, and made his acceptance speech. He was not only elected, but it was also his 22nd wedding anniversary.

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With the Mace now back on the table, and the new parliament brought into existence, Trudeau, Ambrose and Mulcair each gave a quick speech, before Regan read out a letter from the Secretary to the Governor General, summoning the House to attend him in the Senate chamber for the Speech From the Throne tomorrow.