Louis Plamondon

[Points of Order, November 29th, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, perhaps the minister wanted to show us that he could not be in the House in person because his bicycle had a flat tire?

[Election of Speaker, November 22nd, 2021]

It is my duty to inform the House that a Speaker of this House has been duly elected. It is with great pleasure that I do now invite the hon. member for the electoral district of Nipissing—Timiskaming to take the chair.

[Election of Speaker, November 22nd, 2021]

Before I suspend the sitting, I wish to remind hon. members that, when the counting has been completed, the bells to call the members back to the House will be sounded for about 10 minutes. The sitting is suspended to the call of the Chair.

The sitting is suspended to the call of the Chair.

(The sitting of the House was suspended at 3:33 p.m.)

[Election of Speaker, November 22nd, 2021]

All members having voted, I do now instruct the Clerk to proceed with the counting of the ballots after I have cast my ballot.

[Election of Speaker, November 22nd, 2021]

Pursuant to the Standing Orders, the House will now proceed to elect a Speaker.

The names of the eligible candidates are listed in alphabetical order on the ballot. After the Clerk has unsealed the ballots, I will suggest to the House a procedure that will accelerate the voting process.

We are now prepared to begin to vote according to the provisions of Standing Order 4. Please allow me to outline the procedure for all hon. members.

In order to vote, I will ask that members leave their desks, exit through the curtains and form a line in the corridor behind the chair, where a table official will issue a ballot paper to each member. Members will then come to the table using the doors on the left and right sides of the chair on their respective sides of the House.

I know that members are happy to see each other again, but we must follow the health and safety protocols. I would remind members to wear their mask at all times and maintain physical distancing.

After casting their ballots, members are asked to leave the voting area and avoid gathering on the floor of the House. They may return to their seat or leave the House while they await the results.

The names of the candidates for the election are listed in alphabetical order on the ballot. To vote, you must rank the candidates in order of preference, placing the number “1” in the space next to your first choice candidate, the number “2” next to your second choice candidate, and so on, until you have ranked all candidates for whom you wish to vote. Please note that it is not necessary to rank all candidates.

The polling booths are now open to vote.

(Members were issued ballots, and marked their ballots in secret, at voting stations)

[Election of Speaker, November 22nd, 2021]

Before I suspend the sitting for 30 minutes, may I bring to the attention of hon. members that the bells calling the members back to the House will be rung for not more than five minutes.

The sitting of the House is suspended to the call of the Chair in 30 minutes.

Choose wisely.

(The sitting of the House was suspended at 2:22 p.m.)

[Election of Speaker, November 22nd, 2021]

I noticed that several speakers spoke about new members. I know there are many. I am certain that one of them will beat my record because they are starting out at an earlier age than I did.

I would like to use an anecdote to give you a small piece of advice. As I already mentioned, when I was elected in 1984, cell phones, the Internet and faxes did not exist. It was another world, a paradise. What we were afraid of at the time was meeting with the national press. When we did, we immediately understood that journalists were completely objective. Things went well. You, the new members, will have to deal with the infamous social networks, which can harbour malice, insults, harassment and more. They are not easy to contend with.

In my riding, there was an old mayor who was always being confronted by his citizens. At every municipal council meeting, he was questioned, insulted and harassed, and then he would leave. One day, as he was leaving a meeting, a woman asked him if he was fed up and tired of being insulted, harassed and questioned. He replied, “My dear lady, a good politician is like a monument. Sometimes, a little dog passes by, pees on the monument and then continues on its way. It does not really hurt the monument, but it does the little dog a lot of good.”

Therefore, dear young MPs, be the monuments.

[Election of Speaker, November 22nd, 2021]

I now call upon the final speaker, Mr. Anthony Rota, the hon. member for Nipissing—Timiskaming, to address the House for not more than five minutes.

[Election of Speaker, November 22nd, 2021]

I will now call upon Alexandra Mendès, the hon. member for Brossard—Saint‑Lambert, to address the House for not more than five minutes.

[Election of Speaker, November 22nd, 2021]

I will now call on Ms. Elizabeth May, the hon. member for Saanich—Gulf Islands, to address the House for five minutes.