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• Position: CPA Activities - George Furey as Speaker of the Senate and Geoff Regan as the new Speaker of the House of Commons

New Senate Speaker

On December 3, Governor General David Johnston appointed George Furey as Speaker of the Senate, replacing Conservative Senator Leo Housakos.

Furey, who sits as an independent Senate Liberal, is a lawyer from St. John's who was appointed to the Senate in 1999 to represent Newfoundland and Labrador on the advice of Prime Minister Jean Chretien.

Earning a B.A., a B.Ed. and a Masters of Education from Memorial, he became a school teacher and administrator before attending Dalhousie Law School. A respected community leader and frequent volunteer, Furey has also been a member of many professional boards and provincial commissions, including Newfoundland and Labrador's Provincial Police Complaints Commission.

Furey has served on many Senate committees during his tenure in the upper chamber and is a past chair of the Budget Sub-committee of Internal Economy, the Senate Standing Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs and the Senate Standing Committee of Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration.

Addressing his colleagues, Furey noted the Senate was "entering uncharted waters, in which we are invited by the government to reinvent ourselves in a less partisan way and fulfil our roles as envisioned under the constitution as an independent chamber of sober second thought. I know uncertainty can be unsettling, but I have confidence that working together, with respect and commitment to this institution, we can meet the challenges ahead."

New House of Commons Speaker

Also on December 3, Members of Parliament elected Halifax West Liberal MP Geoff Regan as the new Speaker of the House of...