House Speaker Greg Fergus has pledged to step down from his position if a partisan video tribute shown at the Ontario Liberal convention earlier this month causes the House of Commons to permanently lose confidence in him. During a parliamentary committee session on Dec. 11, Mr. Fergus expressed his acceptance of the process and decision, stating that he is a servant of the House of Commons and will leave if it is decided that the House no longer trusts him and if he cannot regain the trust of the members of Parliament.
Mr. Fergus recorded a video in which he praised his long-time friend John Fraser, the former interim leader of the Ontario Liberal Party, while wearing the traditional robes of his role. This video caused the Procedure and House Affairs Committee (PROC) to conduct an investigation into the Speaker’s conduct. The House of Commons unanimously voted for PROC to examine the Speaker’s actions to determine if he should step down. While the Conservatives and Bloc Quebecois have asked Mr. Fergus to resign, he has stated that he will follow the process set out by the House and maintain fairness and impartiality to retain the confidence of MPs.
During the committee session, Mr. Fergus apologized for the incident and assured that he would establish a more rigorous communication protocol to prevent similar situations from occurring in the future. He also expressed regret for not consulting the clerk of the House of Commons before recording the video. Mr. Fergus and the committee discussed his actions and the importance of clear procedures and good judgment in his role.
The committee session ended with Mr. Fergus becoming the first House Speaker in Canadian history to be summoned for cross-examination by MPs. The committee is set to make its recommendation to the House of Commons on Dec. 14. The situation arose after the previous House Speaker Anthony Rota recognized a former member of the Nazi SS in Parliament during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s visit to Ottawa in September, eventually leading to Mr. Rota’s resignation.