Month: November 2008

It's Peter Milliken, besting Andrew Scheer and Merv Tweed on the fifth ballot.

A big shock with the results of the fourth ballot: NDP MP Joe Comartin is out!

Apparently, Comartin's support was strong but largely confined to the Bloc Quebecois and NDP MPs. As a result, it hasn't grown much over the first rounds of balloting.

And so we're down to incumbent Peter Milliken and Conservatives Merv Tweed and Andrew Scheer.

Merv Tweed actually has a fully-stocked hospitality suite and, when I visited during fourth-ballot voting, it was packed and not just with Tory MPs. There were some Comartin supporters there as well. Perhaps recognizing that their man had no more room to grown, some NDP types are being wooed by the man from Brandon. Get ready for Speaker Tweed folks!

With three rounds of voting complete, MPs have yet to elect a speaker.

The names of five MPs were on the second ballot: NDP MP Joe Comartin, Conservatives Barry Devolin, Andrew Scheer, and Merv Tweed and Liberal incumbent Peter Milliken.

To be elected Speaker, one of those individuals must have the support of a majority of MPs.

MPs will now now vote a fourth time. Because he finished last on the third ballot, Ontario Conservative MP Barry Devolin will not be on the fourth ballot.

On the first ballot, MPs were presented with a choice of eight MPs for the Speaker's job, which comes with a $77,000 a year salary bump, on top of an MP's annual stipend of $155,400, a driver and car, a private apartment in the Centre Block of the House of Commons, and the keys to the Speaker's official residence of Kingsmere, in the Gatineau Hills.

MPs began the selection process for Speaker at about 10 a.m.

As Dean of the House Louis Plamondon announced the results, Merv Tweed was seated with a serene expression on his face. He has been campaigning vigorously for this post and perhaps the universe is now unfolding precisely as he thought it would.
Kady reports on the buzz in the foyer, namely, that Milliken cannot win.

MPs have failed to elect a Speaker for the House of Commons on the second ballot.

The names of six MPs were on the second ballot: Mauril Belanger, Joe Comartin, Barry Devolin, Peter Milliken, Andrew Scheer, and Merv Tweed.

MPs will now be voting a third time. Ottawa Liberal MP Mauril Belanger will not be on the third ballot. Under the voting rules, the candidate who finishes last on each ballot is automatically removed from subsequent ballots. Candidates who fail to receive at least 15 votes are also dropped.

Voting continues until one candidate secures a majority.

MPs began the selection process for Speaker at about 10 a.m.

MPs are voting again.

Here's the rules for the balloting: Any candidate who does not get at least 15 votes is out for any subsequent ballots. If everyone gets at least 15 votes, then they guy who finished last is out.

MPs will keep voting until someone gets a majority.

So, the second ballot is underway without Royal Galipeau or Rob Anders name on the ballot.

1103 – Andrew Scheer, Tory MP from Regina, will not turn 30 until next Ma

y but he believe he's ready to assume the Speaker's chair. He may be young but he's going all the way back to 1642 in his speech, when King Charles was getting ornery about the young British Parliament. “The speaker must be impartial, fair and non-partisan.” He was an assistant deputy speaker in the last Parliament and acknowleges that he learned the rules at the knee of master Milliken. “We all have the same goal. We all want Canada to be a better place. ” He says if MPs remembered that, committees and the House would work better. Scheer does a little bit of French at the end. His French isn't great but he's ready to learn.

1107 Merv Tweed is the last to speak. He starts out speaking French, reading off of a prepared text. Tweed is the Tory from Brandon-Souris and a former provincial cabinet minister. “Over the last several years, we've experienced a severe decline in decorum in this wonderful Chamber.” Tweed says that this is an important job for the pursuit of democracy in Canada. “I will commit every hour of my day to this position.”

That's it. They're now voting. See you in an hour.

1047 Barry Devolin from Ontario's beautiful Kawarthas is up next. This may be the first time many of us have heard Barry speak. Devolin was a former policy wonk for Preston Manning and — please don't take this the wrong way, Barry — but he looks the part. Devolin cites his resumé. He delivers the front part of his pitch in French. Mind you, unlike the others, he's reading from a prepared text as he speaks French. “I think we need a change in that Chair. I profoundly disagree with [Milliken's] House management style.” Devolin says he is embarrassed about the behaviour of MPs in the House and says he makes excuses for his colleagues when school groups from his riding visit. “There is no other place I can think of where people are routinely subjected to the kind of verbal abuse you see in this chamber.”

1052 – Royal Galipeau, Tory MP from Ottawa is up. He was on the deputy speaker squad in the last Parliament. Odd that he's running for, in the last Parliament, as a demonstration of of the kind decorum he stands for, I suppose, Galipeau physically threatened Liberal MP David McGuinty on the floor of the House of Commons! Here's my blog entry from the time:

I was sitting in the press gallery in the House of Commons at Question Period, quietly minding my own business, when, lo and behold, I saw Conservative MP Royal Galipeau (left) charge up out of his seat, dash across the floor, climb up into the Liberal backbenches, grab MP David McGuinty (right) by the shoulder and vigorously wag his finger in front of McGuinty’s face. I couldn’t hear what was said and so, after Question Period, I asked McGuinty what had happened:

McGuinty: I just rose on a point of privilege in the House of Commons to ask the speaker to formally investigate the conduct of his deputy speaker. The Member of Parliament from Ottawa Orleans, Mr. Galipeau, physically crossed the floor immediately after I finished my second question to the government and grabbed me by the shoulder and was screaming out of control, out of control using unparliamentary language, threatening me, telling me that I was a coward, that I was giving him no chance to defend himself.

In any event, Galipeau tries to flatter MPs by calling them the most “astute electors” in the country. I suspect McGuinty will not be voting for Galipeau.

1057 – Peter Milliken,the incumbent. Rare to see him in a suit-and-tie in the House. Normally, he is wearing the Speaker's robes in this Chamber. “There are certain circumstances that require expertise,” Milliken argues, saying that expertise is different from experience. “In this Parliament we will have a number of challenges.” Milliken acknowledges that decorum is a problem. “I agree that decorum has gone down somewhat but I don't believe that is not uncommon in a minority Parliament.” He, like some other candidates, says that, ultimately, it is up to each MP to conduct themselves with a bit more decorum.

1036 – Mauril Bélanger leads off. Calls for a higher level of decorum. “Canadians are expecting to see a collective improvement in our behaviour.” Bélanger, speaking in French and English, quotes Ed Broadbent. Bélanger brings up 10 per centers — the taxpayer funded mailings widely used by Conservative MPs to bomb Liberal-held ridings with ant-Liberal propaganda. “I believe it is not an appropriate use of members' privileges and it is not an appropriate use of taxpayer money.” Using these 10-per-centers for partisan purposes was the brainchild of one Kory Teneycke, while he headed the Conservative Research Group, the job held before becoming the prime minister's director of communication. Former Liberal MP Garth Tuner, whose riding got bombed by these things, called them Tory “poop-o-grams”.

1041 – NDP MP Joe Comartin is up next. Comartin is widely seen as the most capable of candidates but is probably may be he's too talented and too valuable as a critic and NDP MP. Some of his own NDP colleagues are torn on this issue, wishing their colleague well but thinking their team will be lessened if Comartin has to take up the non-partisan role of Speaker. “I believe the role of the Speaker is quite clear and really quite simple. The responsibility of the speaker is to maintain order and decorum in this Chamber. Beyond that it's my belief that the speaker has the responsibility to protect the rights and responsibilities of every member in this House.”

1028 – Louis Plamondon is summoned to the Speaker's Chair. “It seems quite comfortable,” Plamondon says as he settles in Speaker's Chair for what could be an hour or two or several hours.

Plamondon thanks his constituents and his family.

Plamondon asks if there is anyone who does not want to stand for office to rise.

Dean Del Mastro, Christian Ouellet, James Lunney, Paul Callandra, Joy Smith, David Tilson, Rodney Weston.

Rob Anders failed to show up for today's vote and, as a result, he is on the ballot!

So here are your choices for the first ballot:

• Mauril Bélanger
• Joe Comartin
• Barry Devolin
• Royal Galipeau
• Peter Milliken
• Andrew Scheer
• Merv Tweed

1036 And now the speeches begin!

Mauril Bélanger