The speaker's chair in the Ontario Legislature.

AuthorHynes, Susanne
PositionSketches of Parliaments and Parliamentarians Past

The focal point of Ontario Legislative Chamber, the Speaker's Chair is a symbol of authority that also has a very practical function for its occupants.

A Symbol of the Authority of Parliament

The Speaker's Chair, situated on a solid mahogany dais, surrounded by magnificent wood carvings and surmounted by a large mahogany Royal Coat of Arms, is the focal point of the Ontario Legislative Chamber. The Chair is a symbol of the authority of the Speaker, who is chosen by his colleagues to preside over them, to regulate their debate, to maintain order, and to ensure the free expression of all opinions.1 It also serves the very practical function of providing seating for the Speaker and is an important part of the decor of the Chamber.

Since Confederation there may have been as many as 19 Speakers' Chairs in Ontario. It was customary--until the end of the tenure of the 20th Speaker, James Howard Clark, in 1943--to present the chair of office to the Speaker when he retired. While some of these chairs have since been returned to the Assembly, the location (or fate) of many of the others is unknown.

Ontario's first post-Confederation Speaker, John Stevenson, occupied a chair that was built for him. Also occupied by the next Speaker, Richard William Scott, it is assumed Mr. Scott took the chair when he retired.

Two Favoured Designs

The Ontario Speaker's chairs since that time have primarily been of two designs. In the photograph to the right, Queen Elizabeth II is seated in an chair of the earlier design manufactured by Robert Hay & Company and Prince Philip in a chair of the later design manufactured by Chas. Rogers & Co.

In 1871 a new chair was made for the third Speaker, James George Currie (1871-1873). In 1958 his descendants presented this chair to the Province. The Queen sat in this chair on her 1984 Queen's Park visit and it is currently on display in the East Wing of the Legislative Building. The Chas. Rogers chair in which Prince Philip sat was Speaker William David Black's (1927-1929).

The chair...

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