Most MPs on House committee want Speaker Greg Fergus to stay as new allegations emerge
Conservatives make new allegations against Fergus as NDP allege Scheer attended fundraisers while Speaker
Most MPs on the House of Commons committee looking into Speaker Greg Fergus's controversial video appearance at the Ontario Liberal convention are recommending disciplinary action that falls short of removing him from the Speaker's chair.
In a report tabled in the House of Commons Thursday morning, the committee called on Fergus to again apologize to the House and pay a fine.
The committee also recommends that the House of Commons prepare a briefing binder for future Speakers that "presents clear boundaries for impartiality and non-partisanship."
The report was not unanimous. Conservative and Bloc Québécois committee members demanded that Fergus resign, arguing that he had lost the confidence of both parties.
The 105-second video at the heart of the controversy shows the Speaker in his official office, wearing his Speaker's robes, paying tribute to John Fraser, the outgoing interim leader of the Ontario Liberal Party.
In Canada, Speakers are supposed to significantly limit their partisan activities once they take office. A Speaker does not attend party caucus meetings, vote in the House (except in the event of a tie) or participate in debate.
Shortly after the committee report was tabled, Conservative House Leader Andrew Scheer told the Commons he had evidence Fergus participated in a partisan event in November.
Scheer later distributed to the media copies of an Instagram post by Sophie Chatel, Liberal MP for Pontiac, in which she said she participated in a partisan event with Fergus and Quebec MNA André Fortin.
A translation of the Facebook post inviting people to the Nov. 16 event describes it as a "Cocktail with André Fortin" and says that "activists from our constituency" will "discuss our region, our party and your priorities."
Chatel's post from the event shows Chatel, Fortin and Fergus smiling at the British Pub, the venue where the event was held.
The Speaker's office issued a statement Thursday saying Fergus's attendance at Fortin's mixer preceded the introduction of the "new protocol which mandates consultation with the Clerk," and that the evening was a "free event" in the Speakers' riding.
The Quebec provincial riding of Pontiac does not line up with the federal riding represented by Chatel, but straddles the federal riding of Pontiac and the federal riding of Hull—Aylmer, which is represented by Fergus.
Chatel's office told Radio-Canada that the cocktail evening in Alymer, Que. was organized by Fortin, charged no entrance fee and was not a fundraising event.
NDP take aim at Scheer
Just after noon, NDP House Leader Peter Julian told the House he had evidence that Scheer participated in three partisan Conservative fundraising events while he was Speaker from June 2, 2011 to December 2, 2015.
The NDP provided three examples of fundraising activities by Scheer. The first was a August 16, 2011 skeet shoot and dinner at the Regina Wildlife Federation Association Range at a cost of $125 per person, or $50 for the dinner only.
The event billed then-agriculture minister Gerry Ritz, who represented the Saskatchewan riding of Battlefords—Lloydminster, as the special guest.
The second event — another shoot and skeet fundraiser — took place on June 24, 2014 and charged $175 per person, or $85 for the dinner only. The third event took place on June 29, 2015, with tickets priced the same as they were in 2014.
Sebastian Skamski, director of media relations for Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, told CBC News the situations are different because Fergus was attending a fundraiser for a "Liberal colleague, not in his riding," while Scheer was raising money for his own individual re-election "under a year, and then a year and change, from an election period."
The 2011 shoot-and-skeet fundraiser with Ritz took place three weeks after Scheer was elected Speaker.
"This is not an acceptable activity for any Speaker to be involved in," Julian said before question period. "The precedent Mr. Scheer has set is that it's OK to have partisan fundraisers with the Speaker involved ... It's not acceptable for anybody."
Calls for Fergus's resignation
Before the report was published, Scheer tabled a motion calling for a vote of non-confidence in Fergus, which may not come before the House until after the Christmas break.
The committee report was tabled on the same day that CBC News revealed Scheer was fined $500 earlier this year for filming a video in his parliamentary office to support new Conservative MP Arpan Khanna in an Ontario byelection. Khanna appears to have later claimed the $500 as a campaign expense.
In the committee report, Conservatives MPs on the committee said Fergus had squandered "the good will and trust of the Official Opposition" and that the Speaker's decision to appear in the video demonstrates his "judgment is questionable."
"To repair the tear in the fabric of our democratic institution, the Speaker must resign. The recommendations offered instead by the NDP-Liberal majority on the Procedure and House Affairs Committee are weak and meaningless," the Conservatives' dissenting opinion says.
The opinion goes on to say that a fine would be pointless because "no amount of money could restore the trust and goodwill required for Mr. Fergus to be able to do his job," and that a further apology to the House would be "meaningless."
"What good would another apology be when there is an established track record of poor judgment which is likely, over time, to recur?" the opinion says.
Calling the effort to provide future Speakers with a briefing binder "sad," the Conservatives on the procedure and House affairs committee said "non-partisanship is really the most basic, golden rule" of the Speaker's job.
"If a Speaker requires a dedicated briefing on impartiality and non-partisanship in order to discharge that simple, basic and ancient responsibility of the position, then he or she, quite frankly, has no business holding the office," it said.
The dissenting opinion of the Bloc Québécois MPs on the committee described Fergus's appearance in the video as an "undeniable error of judgment likely to cast doubt on his impartiality and undermine the confidence of the members of the House."
The Bloc said the House of Commons should hold a secret ballot vote, similar to the voting process for electing a Speaker, to decide on Fergus's future.
Fergus contrite before committee
During his appearance before the committee earlier this week, Fergus said that he made the video while dashing between two meetings. He said the video was meant to be a personal message for his longtime friend, former interim Ontario Liberal leader John Fraser, and was never supposed to have been shown in public.
Fergus told MPs on the committee that he knows he "messed up" and promised that he would never do it again and has put protocols in place to ensure that promise is kept.
Going forward, Fergus said, the Clerk of the House of Commons will be consulted each time a request is made for Fergus to speak at an event or provide a video message.
Fergus said his office is drafting an "evaluation grid" that it will submit to the Clerk's office for approval. The grid would help the office decide on the propriety of the Speaker's communications.
The Speaker also said he is consulting other Speakers in Canada and "other Westminster parliaments" and will follow their advice.
Acting Clerk of the House of Commons Eric Janse told the committee Monday morning that Fergus did not consult him or his office to ask if the video was appropriate, but if he had, Janse's advice would have been not to make the video.
Asked by Julian why he did not ask Janse, Fergus said the failure to seek advice from the Clerk was his own fault.
Corrections
- This story has been updated to correct the name of Greg Fergus's riding. He represents Hull—Aylmer, not Gatineau.Dec 14, 2023 3:46 PM EST
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