Evolving speakership.

• Author: Levy, Gary

Gary Levy is editor of the Canadian Parliamentary Review.

This article examines three issues related to the Office of Speaker in Canada's elected legislatures -- how Speakers are chosen, how long they remain in office and the circumstance by which they leave office. It covers all Speakers who have been in office since the Review was established in 1978.

Canada has thirteen elected legislative bodies (the House of Commons, ten provincial and two territorial legislatures) ranging in size from the 301 member House of Commons to the seventeen member Yukon Legislative Assembly. Yet, regardless of an assembly's size or composition, every Speaker bears ultimate responsibility for balancing two fundamental principles of parliamentary democracy. The majority has the right to conduct its business in an orderly manner and the minority has the right to be heard. This responsibility makes the Speaker a crucial figure in our parliamentary form of government.

The duties of the Presiding Officer have changed little over the centuries. First, he or she is the spokesperson for the House in its relations with outside authorities, including the Crown. Second, the Speaker presides over sittings and enforces rules for the preservation of order and the conduct of business. Third, the Speaker has extensive responsibilities relating to the administration of the House. While these constants remain there have been change in other aspects, most notably the way Speakers are chosen.

The Election Process

For more than a hundred years after Confederation Speakers of the House of Commons were nominated by the Prime Minister then elected in a voice vote by the House. A similar procedure was followed in every other assembly.

To enhance the stature of the Presiding Officer and to make it clear that the Speaker is not a government appointee the House adopted, in 1985, a reform which provided for the election of its Speaker by a secret ballot. Every member (except Ministers of the Crown) are listed on the ballot unless they have informed the Clerk in writing that they do not want their name to stand. One or more ballots are then held with the lowest person(s) being eliminated until someone emerges with a majority. A variation on this secret ballot procedure has since been adopted by Ontario, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and the Northwest Territories.

As shown in the table on the following page there have now been nearly 20 Speakers elected under rules providing for a secret ballot in various legislatures. When the procedure was introduced, some concerns were expressed in Ottawa that it could end the tradition of rotating the position between English and French Canadians. So far that has not been the case.

There was also speculation that the new process would open the way to Opposition Members being elected if they happened to be the best candidate. Experience so far, in both Ottawa and other legislatures, shows that with the exception of Ronald Russell (Nova Scotia) in 1998 only individuals from the majority party have won the Speakership under the secret ballot system. By contrast under Prime Ministerial nomination James Jerome, a Liberal, was asked to stay on as...