House of Commons Speaker Greg Fergus was heckled repeatedly on Wednesday over his decision to delay question period in order to deliver a speech to MPs about the issue of heckling.
The drama began unfolding around 2:20 p.m. EDT. After members’ statements were completed, MPs are to begin question period, but Fergus had other plans. He rose from his chair to inform the House that he planned to first “make a statement about order and decorum in the House.”
That didn’t go over well on the Official Opposition benches. Perhaps not hearing Fergus, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre rose to begin his first question to the government.
“After eight years this government,” Poilievre began, before Fergus cut him off to let him know he’d have to wait a few minutes before getting to grill the Liberals.
“The Speaker has the choice as to when to start question period. There will be a full question period that will follow after this declaration from the Speaker,” Fergus said.
Conservative MP Michael Cooper could be heard yelling that it was time for question period, then Conservative House Leader and former House Speaker Andrew Scheer rose to remind Fergus that, per the House rules, question period was to begin “no later than 2:15 p.m.”
Fergus then noted that it has become common to see question period getting underway a bit late, and while he doesn’t plan to make a habit of it, he wanted to get his statement out of the way first.
Cue further back and forth, with Scheer balking about how the Speaker should be the one enforcing, not bending House rules, and Fergus forging ahead citing past precedent, with the backing of the Liberal benches.
Poilievre then stood on a point of order, imploring Fergus to allow question period to proceed and make his statement after.
“The Speaker has a plethora of occasions to stand on his feet and make any point he wants or any declaration he likes. He does not need to do it in the middle of the sacred period during which we hold the government to account,” he said, accusing Fergus of violating the rules to do so.
That didn’t persuade the Speaker, and so Fergus — a former parliamentary page and just two weeks into his role as House Speaker — began with his prepared remarks.
When he was elected, the Liberal MP had promised at the outset to come back to his colleagues with plans to tackle what he saw as a downturn in the order and decorum in what he called the “sanctum of democracy.”
As he worked his way through his speech on the ills of heckling and how he’s noticed a “deterioration in the collective decorum in this place,” heckling poured out from the opposition benches.
At one point, Conservative MP Chris Warkentin rose to ask if Fergus was “filibustering” and to inform the House how much longer his remarks would take.
“It will continue for the time that it will take,” the Speaker responded.
And so on he went, vowing to look for ways to improve the tone and tenor in the chamber, while asking all MPs to help him in this goal by taking responsibility for being respectful and not drowning out their colleagues. During his remarks, however, he faced more heckles.
“Excessive, disruptive, and loud heckling must be toned down. Occasional heckling has always been a part of our proceedings, and a light hearted or clever comment will often enhance debate rather than detract from it,” Fergus said.
“However, far too often heckling is boorish and rude, designed to intimidate, insult, or drown out others. Members have a right to be heard, and to hear the proceedings going on around them. The frequent and time-consuming disorder it creates must stop.”
Fergus ended by thanking members “for their attention,” while vowing to continue discussions with all parties on improving their parliamentary behaviour.
After all was said and done, question period got underway at 2:45 p.m. EDT, 30 minutes behind schedule.
