House of Commons Hansard #1 of the 45th Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was elected.
This summary is computer-generated. Usually it’s accurate, but every now and then it’ll contain inaccuracies or total fabrications.
Election of Speaker Members prepare to elect a new Speaker after candidates withdraw. Hopefuls present their qualifications and vision, emphasizing the need to restore decorum, fairness, and respect in the House. They discuss their parliamentary experience and ability to manage the Speaker's administrative and diplomatic duties, aiming for a more dignified and productive Parliament. 5000 words, 35 minutes.
Sitting Resumed Members elect Francis Scarpaleggia as the new Speaker. Party leaders congratulate him, emphasizing the Speaker's role in upholding decorum and democracy. They express hopes for a collaborative Parliament to address challenges like the housing crisis and economic uncertainty, reflecting on parliamentary tradition and the importance of their work for Canadians. 2300 words, 1 hour.
Sitting ResumedElection of SpeakerFirst Session—45th Parliament
The Presiding Officer Louis Plamondon
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 Lac-Saint-Louis to take the chair.
Sitting ResumedElection of SpeakerFirst Session—45th Parliament
Some hon. members
Hear, hear!
Sitting ResumedElection of SpeakerFirst Session—45th Parliament
The Presiding Officer Louis Plamondon
(The Presiding Officer having vacated the chair, and the mace having been laid under the table, the right hon. Prime Minister and the hon. Leader of the Opposition conducted Francis Scarpaleggia from his seat in the House to the chair)
Sitting ResumedElection of SpeakerFirst Session—45th Parliament
The Speaker Francis Scarpaleggia
Hon. members, I humbly thank the House for the great honour it has bestowed on me by choosing me as Speaker. I sincerely thank members for their confidence.
On behalf of everyone here, I want to thank the dean of the House, the member for Bécancour—Nicolet—Saurel—Alnôbak. I thank him for his knowledge, his humour and his perspective as an experienced parliamentarian.
I also want to congratulate my colleagues who were candidates in today's vote. I congratulate them on their inspiring and edifying speeches that made us all proud to say that we are members of the House.
I would also like to reserve a special mention and thanks to the member for Hull—Aylmer, who took the reins of the Speakership at a difficult moment, at the end of a mandate, when things tend to get a little feistier.
I would remind members that we are at the beginning of a mandate, in the selfish hope that they will afford me a little grace period.
Once again, thank you for your confidence. I have few words, because we all have things we want to accomplish, and we have been away. Thank you, colleagues.
And the mace having been laid upon the table:
Mark Carney Liberal Nepean, ON
Mr. Speaker, as I rise in this House for the first time, I hope you will permit me to thank my constituents in Nepean for the great honour of being a member of this chamber. I would also like to thank Canadians for the trust they have put in this government and in all members of this great House.
Your election to the chair is a testament to the level of respect your colleagues have for you. For more than 20 years, you have served the people of Lac-Saint-Louis with devotion, wisdom, poise and dignity. Thank you.
I have much to learn from the members of this great House. I will make mistakes. I have no doubt that you, Mr. Speaker, will call them out, and for good reason, because this House has rules and traditions, and it is on those traditions that our Athenian democracy is founded. Yes, we are Athens, and they are Rome.
We will prevail. It is the golden age of Athens.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. You have my support.
Andrew Scheer Conservative Regina—Qu'Appelle, SK
Mr. Speaker, I want to begin by congratulating you. You have earned members' support to manage the House for the next few months or years. We will see.
I too would like to indulge myself and take this opportunity to thank the voters of Regina—Qu'Appelle, and indeed my spouse. I would like to thank my wife Jill for the sacrifice that she and my family make, as all our spouses and significant others do.
Mr. Speaker, you have just taken charge of an office that is almost as old as Parliament itself. It emerged in the Middle Ages when the commons needed a spokesman to air its grievances to the king, a task that probably would not stand up to the safe workplace guidelines that exist today. As we know, until the 17th century, the Speaker's loyalty was to the Crown rather than to MPs, and they were often blamed if they delivered bad news to the monarch. Seven Speakers were beheaded between 1394 and 1535, and many more were imprisoned. Managing monarchs was a delicate undertaking.
One Speaker, John Wenlock, during the Wars of the Roses, when no one could be sure who would end up as king, tried to hedge his bets by fighting for both the York family and the Lancastrians. It did not work out too well for him, though: He died at the Battle of Tewkesbury. Of course, he was not the last politician to try to be on both sides of a contentious issue. I dare say we may find some Liberal MPs voting for things that they were very recently voting against.
Gradually, the Speaker's role became one of representing Parliament rather than the monarch, and it was not until the Victorian era that impartiality of the Speaker became the norm. It might no longer be a requirement to stand up to kings and queens, but you may find yourself having to stand up to other offices of authority. If such a moment presents itself, we trust that you will stand with the Speakers who came before you who defended this institution on behalf of the people.
As I look back over the last few parliaments, we did have some trying times. We witnessed injuries from flying elbows, F-bombs dropped and a few appearances of one member in a state of undress. I did hear that CPAC was considering putting “May contain violence, coarse language and nudity” as a warning on the daily broadcast, but so far it has not had to do that.
Andrew Scheer Conservative Regina—Qu'Appelle, SK
Mr. Speaker, the speakership itself has been tested, unfortunately with some Speakers caught in the middle of scandals themselves. I have heard it said that it has all gone downhill since the last time a Conservative was elected Speaker, but I could not possibly comment on that.
In all seriousness, you are not a commissioner of Parliament but a servant of the House, and that is an important dynamic. You are held accountable by members, and each of us is accountable to our voters. Debates should be passionate; they should be lively. The lives of Canadians are changed by the decisions we make, so it is normal that members get enthusiastic and fiery. When the stakes are so high, often the best thing you can do is allow the players to play a little.
This is where the government is held to account. It has an enormous amount of power, and we parliamentarians must provide ruthless scrutiny on every dollar taken out of the pockets of Canadians, every infringement on their liberties and every single decision the government makes. Of course, every Parliament has its own unique challenges and messy moments, but as Winston Churchill said, “democracy is the worst form of Government except all those other forms that have been tried”.
Mr. Speaker, we offer you our support and our best wishes for your speakership over this Parliament.
Yves-François Blanchet Bloc Beloeil—Chambly, QC
Mr. Speaker, esteemed colleagues, I cannot help but notice that I am speaking from a seat a little further back in the House. That means that, while we will still be just as courteous, we will have to speak even louder so that, when the time comes, we can show that numbers are not everything.
On behalf of myself and the Bloc Québécois, I want to take this opportunity to congratulate the new Speaker and to thank the voters who participated in this democratic exercise, both in my riding of Beloeil—Chambly and across Quebec and Canada.
I want to point out that the Prime Minister referred to Athenian institutions and that the Leader of the Opposition spoke a lot about the monarchy. I would have expected the opposite, but we will come back to that, perhaps tomorrow.
I would also like to extend my best wishes to the entire House in anticipation of what we hope will be serious work under the watchful eye of our new Speaker. I hope that this Parliament will take a more collaborative approach. That would be good for us, it would be good for all the members here in the House, and it is a highly responsible approach. I would like to ask all members, both new and old, to be the best colleagues they can be so that the Bloc Québécois will be compelled to be even better and be the best colleagues we can be. Of course, we will be focusing on our priorities in the coming days, and our colleagues know what those are.
In particular, I want us all to reflect on the importance and privilege of democracy. I believe we need to get voters engaged again so that, in the future, they will vote for something they really want, motivated by enthusiasm and hope, and not so much by concern, apprehension or fear.
I believe we have the potential to achieve this, because in the last few minutes, and to some extent in the last few weeks, I have had a chance to speak with a number of you. Even then, especially during my brief conversations with the Prime Minister and with Conservative colleagues, I sensed that we have it in us to change our tone and the way we collaborate. That seems to me like the only path forward to regaining the respect of the voters who selected the members of this Parliament.
Above all, I hope that we can accomplish this work with good humour and enjoyment. Our work arises from an incredible privilege that you, Mr. Speaker, will be called upon to protect. I offer you my sincere congratulations.
Don Davies NDP Vancouver Kingsway, BC
Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the New Democratic Party of Canada, I wish to offer most sincere congratulations on your election as Speaker of the House of Commons.
Please accept our sincerest congratulations.
I also wish to thank all those who ran for the position and to congratulate all returning and newly elected members of Parliament. We have a privileged position in the House.
The role of the Speaker is foundational to the functioning of our parliamentary democracy. As the impartial guardian of the House, the Speaker ensures that debate is conducted with decorum, that all voices are heard and that the rules of Parliament are upheld with fairness and integrity. At a time when public trust in democratic institutions is being tested around the world, the Speaker's duty is to foster respectful dialogue and uphold the dignity of the House. That has never been more important.
I think we all know that Canadians are facing some of the most difficult times in recent memory. An entrenched housing crisis, rising economic uncertainty and widespread difficulty accessing timely health care are putting immense pressures on families and communities across the country. In addition to these challenges, we now face unprecedented threats to our independence, and a trade war from the administration south of the border
Despite these daunting circumstances, Canadians have responded with resilience, compassion and unity. They have demonstrated what it means to come together in times of adversity. I think there is a lesson there for all of us. In keeping with the Athenian imagery, I would say that the House should have more Plato and less Mediocrates.
May the House draw inspiration from Canadians' examples. While we may hold very different views on how best to address the pressing issues, we must not lose sight of our shared responsibility to work together in common purpose to defend the best interests of our country and the welfare of our citizens. Canadian voters have once again elected a minority Parliament, a clear mandate for co-operation rather than constant conflict. They have asked us to listen to one another, to find common ground and to deliver real solutions. No party holds a monopoly on good ideas, and no government is entitled to a blank cheque. Let us honour the trust that Canadians have placed in us by rising to this moment and working together to build a more just, secure and hopeful future for us all.
I am confident that you, Mr. Speaker, will preside over the House with wisdom, impartiality and a steady hand. Canada's New Democrats extend our support and best wishes as you embark on this important chapter of public service.
Elizabeth May Green Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC
Mr. Speaker, congratulations to one and all, especially to the new members.
It is an honour to rise to congratulate our new Speaker and to congratulate all the members elected in this place, whether for the first time or, as for the dean of the House, the 13th time. I congratulate, again, every member.
I reflect on what it was like when I witnessed my first Speaker election, when I was first elected. We elected the hon. member for Regina—Qu'Appelle. I will never forget that the leader of the official opposition at the time, the late Jack Layton, stood on that occasion and said, and I commend this to the official opposition, that his caucus would never heckle. That was a wonderful moment.
As I stood then on behalf of the entire Green caucus, I do also today. I pledge again never to heckle, and to do everything possible to aid your work, Mr. Speaker, in protecting our rights and ensuring the effective, efficient and honourable conduct of this place, such that there will be no need for warnings on CPAC or any other network. Again, I urge everyone here to try our very best.
I pause briefly to congratulate the Prime Minister on his maiden speech and, again, on brevity. We look forward to more speeches from our Prime Minister, from the leader of the official opposition and from members of all parties, whether recognized or unrecognized. We are all here for the same reason. We work for Canada. We work for our constituents. With your wise counsel, Mr. Speaker, we will work hard to make this a Parliament in which Canadians can be justifiably proud of Canadian democracy.
Tragedy at Vancouver FestivalFirst Session—45th Parliament
The Speaker Francis Scarpaleggia
Following discussions among representatives of all parties in the House, I understand that there is an agreement to observe a moment of silence following the tragic event that occurred on April 26 at the Lapu Lapu festival in Vancouver, British Columbia.
I now invite hon. members to rise.
[A moment of silence observed]
Opening of ParliamentFirst Session—45th Parliament
The Speaker Francis Scarpaleggia
I have the honour to inform the House that I have received the following message:
May 26, 2025
Mr. Speaker:
I have the honour to inform you that His Majesty the King will arrive at the Senate of Canada Building at 10:15 a.m. on Tuesday, the 27th day of May, 2025.
When it has been indicated that all is in readiness, His Majesty the King will proceed to the Chamber of the Senate to formally open the First Session of the Forty-Fifth Parliament of Canada.
Sincerely yours,
Donald C. Booth
Canadian Secretary to the King
The House now stands adjourned until tomorrow at 10 a.m., at which time the House will proceed to the Senate where His Majesty the King will open the first session of the 45th Parliament.
(The House adjourned at 12:20 p.m.)