House Speaker Greg Fergus’ office says the video message played at the recent Ontario Liberal leadership meeting was meant to be a personal, bipartisan tribute, but that he will no longer be the top parliamentarian. He said he would work “even harder” to demonstrate fairness as an executive. .
Mr Fergus had been criticized by many Conservative MPs over the weekend after appearing in a two-minute video paying tribute to outgoing Liberal Party interim provincial leader John Fraser. In the video, Mr Fergus emerges from the Speaker’s office in traditional costume and speaks between former provincial Liberal leaders Kathleen Wynne and Dalton McGuinty. The video mainly touched on his personal relationship with Fraser.
Conservative MPs said it was inappropriate to air the video given the speaker’s position in parliament as an impartial custodian of the House of Commons.
Conservative leader Andrew Scheer, a former leader of the House of Commons, said the move was “totally unacceptable”.
Fergus defended the video as non-partisan in a statement to CBC News on Sunday.
The Speaker of the House must be independent and nonpartisan.
This is the chairman wearing the chairman’s robe. @GregFergus is.
In the chairman’s room.
Speech at the (obviously very partisan) Liberal Party convention.
Totally unacceptable. pic.twitter.com/VIHfok0JJp
“Chairman Fergus has been asked to record a personal message to Mr. John Fraser to be played as part of a video tribute to colleagues and friends in the Capital Region whom he has known for decades. “It was a service that recognized his commitment to the public and was never partisan in nature,” the spokesperson said.
“That said, the Chair acknowledges how this message has been received and recognizes the need to protect the impartial and bipartisan role of the Chair. As his record shows, he will continue to demonstrate his actions and be impartial in his role both on and off the floor. ”
Saturday’s Liberal Party leadership conference ended Mr Fraser’s second term as interim leader of the state party. Mr Fergus described Mr Fraser, who has raced in Ottawa for the Liberal Party since 2013, as a “long-time friend” and thanked him for his public service in politics.
his own social media posts On Sunday, John Fraser thanked Mr Fergus for his words and suggested it may not have been clear to the Speaker where the message would appear.
An Ontario Liberal Party spokesperson responded to a request for comment from CBC News and said they had nothing to add to Fraser’s message on social media.
During his two months as Speaker, Mr Fergus has urged MPs to cultivate a sense of dignity and civility in their conduct in the House of Commons.
