House of Commons Speaker Greg Fergus must apologize once again for his controversial video tribute to an Ontario Liberal MPP, a committee probing the matter recommends.
Members of Parliament on the Procedure and House affairs committee (PROC) on Thursday stopped short of asking for Fergus to resign from the post he’s held for just over two months. Instead they recommended he reimburse a “suitable amount” to cover the parliamentary resources used and were not related to the performance of parliamentary functions.
Fergus should also “issue another apology clearly stating that filming the video both in his office, and in his robes was inappropriate, his remorse for the situation, and a clear outline of what he and his office will do to ensure this does not happen again; and that the principle of respect, impartiality, and decorum are values he will continue to prioritize as Speaker,” the committee said in its recommendation.
Additionally, the committee recommended the House of Commons administration be tasked with preparing, as part of the briefing binder, guidelines for any future Speaker that lays out clear boundaries for impartiality and non-partisanship.
The controversy surrounding Fergus stems from a video tribute he made to John Fraser, former interim leader of the Ontario Liberals.
The video was played at the provincial party’s convention on the Dec. 2 weekend, where soon-to-resign Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie was named leader of the party.
Fergus, who appeared in the video wearing his ceremonial Speaker robes, thanked Fraser in the recording. Fergus has said he was asked to record a video message for an intimate gathering to honour Fraser, whom he called a long-standing friend.
Fergus has apologized for the video, and has told MPs he regrets the video was used in other ways. He added it should not be seen as partisan to recognize a colleague’s career. Fraser has said there was a miscommunication with Fergus’s office over when it would be played.
Fergus told PROC members on Monday it was “very clear in hindsight how wrong” his video tribute was. He added he was putting in place a “rigorous communication protocol” to make sure this never happens again.
“The very moment that it was reported to me that it had been aired publicly, it all of a sudden, Mr. Julian, became very clear that that was just wrong,” Fergus said in response to a question by NDP MP Peter Julian.
Fergus said he was asked to record the video by one of Fraser’s family members. He said he quickly recorded it in between two meetings, saying it took one take to do.
Eric Janse, acting clerk of the House of Commons, testified before Fergus that he was never consulted on the matter, and said he would’ve advised against it if asked.
Fraser, who also appeared at PROC, told the committee his wife contacted Fergus’ office. He said the Ontario Liberal Party asked his family to coordinate a personal video for him as a surprise. The video was assembled by a party volunteer, he added.
In wake of the scandal, the House of Commons voted last Wednesday to have PROC probe the matter; it was set to decide what consequences, if any, Fergus should face if it found he broke parliamentary rules with his now-controversial video tribute.
The Bloc Quebecois and the Conservatives have called for Fergus to step down from his role as Speaker, a position he’s held for more than two months.
While Julian supported a committee probe into the matter, he said on Tuesday that the NDP, which holds the balance of power in Ottawa through its supply-and-confidence agreement with the minority Liberals, won’t be calling for Fergus to resign.
However, they do endorse a call for him to be disciplined and want him to apologize once again and pay a fine.
Government House Leader Karina Gould told reporters in Ottawa on Thursday the Liberals will review the report and come back with their position.
“The government has been quite clear that this was a mistake that he made,” she said. “However, we do not feel that this is a resignable offense, but we will very carefully review PROC’s recommendations and act in response.”
Michael Cooper, Conservative MP for St. Albert—Edmonton who sits on PROC, told MPs on Thursday the Tories were insisting Fergus resign.
“I would submit that it is untenable in the circumstances that he continue in his high office in order to restore the trust and confidence of all honorable members in the speakership,” he said.
Claude DeBellefeuille, Bloc MP for Salaberry—Suroît, also called for Fergus to step down on Thursday.
“We’re of the view that what the Speaker did is unpardonable, unforgivable, and he has to step down,” she said in French.
Fergus has said he’d abide by any decision made by the House of Commons on the matter.
The House of Commons Speaker is typically not under scrutiny — until recently.
Fergus took over the position from Liberal Nipissing—Timiskaming MP Anthony Rota, who resigned as Speaker in September after inviting and acknowledging a Ukrainian-Canadian Second World War veteran in the House of Commons during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s visit to Ottawa.
It turned out that the veteran had served in a Nazi unit during the war. Rota apologized but ultimately stepped down amid international scrutiny and condemnation from MPs across the aisle, including members of his own caucus.
— with files from The Canadian Press
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