Uncertainty over Rota’s replacement as Speaker could force Parliament to hit pause

Article content

OTTAWA – Speaker Anthony Rota’s resignation Tuesday will set off a race to replace him, but so far there is no clarity about exactly when that might take place.

Rota announced his resignation in the House of Commons on Tuesday afternoon after mounting pressure from all political parties to leave his post.

Article content

Before last week’s speech by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Rota called on MPs to recognize and applaud Yaroslav Hunka, a 98-year-old Ukrainian man from his riding. It emerged over the weekend that Hunka served in the First Ukrainian Division, known as the Waffen-SS Galicia Division, a voluntary unit that was under the command of the Nazis during the Second World War.

Article content

Rota said his resignation would be effective at the end of parliamentary business on Wednesday. While there are deputy speakers who can oversee debates, they can only do so until Rota’s resignation takes effect. After that, all parliamentary business is paused until a new speaker is selected.

The last time a speaker resigned during a parliamentary session was in 1984 when Jeanne Sauvé left the post to become governor general.

Under House of Commons rules, the election of a Speaker happens under a secret ballot, with MPs ranking their preferred candidates until a candidate has majority support. Typically, the speaker comes from the governing party, but any MP can put their name forward in the race.

Liberal House leader Karina Gould said she was working with leaders from the other parties to determine what comes next, but they don’t have a clear roadmap for this situation.

“This is unprecedented. This hasn’t happened in the history of Canadian Parliament,” she said. “I don’t have a complete answer for you, but we are working out those details.”

Article content

Gould said House leaders from all the parties were set to meet on Tuesday afternoon to discuss what comes next.

The House of Commons could hold the Speaker’s election on Thursday and then move on to other business, but potential candidates would have little time to get organized before the vote. If the vote is not held on Thursday, the House of Commons would have to suspend all business until a speaker is selected.

NDP House leader Peter Julian said it might be necessary to wait until next week, as MPs are scattered across the country and some would not be able to make it back to Ottawa before a vote.

“The problem is, as far as we’re concerned, is that parliamentarians are right across the country. There are no provisions for hybrid voting right now in the standing orders, so the Speaker’s election has to take place physically here,” he said.

MPs have been able to vote remotely since the COVID-19 pandemic, but their online voting tool only allows for yes or no votes, and would not work for a Speaker’s election where MPs have to write a name on a ballot.

Julian said it’s important that Rota be replaced in a reasonable and transparent manner.

“This is unknown territory and so we have the responsibility to do our due diligence to make sure that we are putting in place a process that Canadians can be proud of.”

Twitter: RyanTumilty
Email: rtumilty@postmedia.com

Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark nationalpost.com and sign up for our politics newsletter, First Reading, here.

Share this article in your social network