Canada’s House of Commons is gearing up for a pivotal vote on Tuesday to choose a new speaker in the aftermath of a scandal that led to the resignation of the previous speaker, who inadvertently invited a former Nazi soldier to a special parliamentary session held in honor of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
Former speaker Anthony Rota, a member of the governing Liberal party, stepped down from his role last week, taking full responsibility for extending the invitation to Yaroslav Hunka, a 98-year-old Polish-born Ukrainian who had served in one of Adolf Hitler’s Waffen SS units during World War Two. This controversial incident occurred during Zelenskiy’s address to the House on September 22. Rota, unaware of Hunka’s complete history, publicly acknowledged him as a Ukrainian veteran and hero who had immigrated to Canada. In response to the ensuing uproar, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau issued a formal apology last week.
The voting process is set to commence at 10 a.m. ET (1400 GMT). Each of the at least eight candidates will be granted an opportunity to deliver a brief speech, after which members of the 338-seat House will cast their votes via secret ballot, ranking their preferences among the candidates. The House speaker traditionally functions as an impartial mediator of parliamentary procedures, responsible for maintaining order and decorum during debates. The speaker only votes in the event of a tie and holds a ceremonial role as a representative of the parliamentary institution.
Notable candidates in the running include Liberal Greg Fergus, who, if elected, would become the first person of color to serve as speaker, and Liberal Sean Casey, who would be the first speaker hailing from Prince Edward Island. Although the Liberals hold the most seats, they lack an outright majority, leaving room for Conservative Chris d’Entremont, who has been serving as deputy minister, and Green Party leader Elizabeth May to potentially secure the position.
The role of speaker comes with an additional annual salary of nearly C$93,000 ($68,000), in addition to the C$194,600 base salary for a lawmaker, as well as access to an official country estate in Quebec’s Gatineau Hills.
