Geoff Regan among the MPs who want to preside over House of Commons

By The Canadian Press

OTTAWA — Geoff Regan, who presided over the House of Commons as Speaker for the past four years, wants to reprise his role in the new session of Parliament.

The Halifax Liberal MP plans to let his name stand among those who want to be the referee in what’s likely to be a fractious Commons following last month’s bruising election campaign that returned Justin Trudeau’s Liberals with a minority government.

The new session is to start on Dec. 5 and the first order of business will be for MPs to elect a new Speaker.

The post carries with it a substantial salary hike (about $255,000), a private apartment near the Commons and a country estate in Gatineau, Que.

There are thought to be at least three others in the running: Bruce Stanton, a Conservative MP who served as deputy Speaker in the last session, Anthony Rota, a Liberal MP from northern Ontario who served in the last session as assistant deputy Speaker, and Carol Hughes, a New Democrat MP who also served as assistant deputy Speaker.

Members of Parliament will vote by preferential ballot for the new Speaker and later the same day the Trudeau government intends to present a throne speech outlining its agenda for the new session.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 13, 2019.

 

The Canadian Press

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