Majority of MPs on House committee want Speaker Greg Fergus to stay, as Bloc, Conservatives demand resignation

A majority of 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 that was tabled in the House Thursday morning, the committee makes three recommendations, including having Fergus once again apologize to the House and pay a fine. 

The committee also recommends that the House of Commons prepares a briefing binder for future speakers that “presents clear boundaries for impartiality and non-partisanship.”

The report was not unanimous, with the Conservatives and the Bloc Québécois demanding Fergus resign his seat after having lost the confidence of both parties. 

The 105-second video at the heart of the controversy surrounding Fergus 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 don the black robe. A Speaker does not, for example, attend party caucus meetings, vote in the House (except in the event of a tie) or participate in debate.

More to come.