Thank you very much, dear colleagues. Welcome to the 39th Parliament.
I will begin with just a brief history lesson about this particular procedure of electing the Speaker by secret ballot, which was recommended in 1985 by the Special Committee on the Reform of the House of Commons, otherwise known as the McGrath committee. It was recommended at that time as a symbol of the independence of the House from the government and the independence of individual members. As members may know, before that, the Speaker was appointed by the Prime Minister. It is in that spirit that I invite you to participate in this particular exercise today.
The list of members who have withdrawn or who are ineligible as candidates has been placed on each member's desk and is available at the table.
The list of those members who are eligible as candidates has also been placed on each member's desk and is available at the table. Pursuant to Standing Order 3.1, the House must proceed to the speeches from each candidate for the office of the Speaker.
Notwithstanding any standing order or any usual procedure and practice adopted by this House and to help the newly elected members to identify the candidates for the office of Speaker, I will recognize in alphabetical order each candidate by name and by electoral district.
When the last candidate to address the House completes his speech, I will leave the chair for one hour, after which members will proceed to the election of the Speaker.
I will now call upon the hon. Diane Marleau, the honourable member for the electoral district of Sudbury, to address the House for not more than five minutes.