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The Speaker
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Question Period
The office of Speaker
is almost as old as Parliament itself. In the House of
Commons the Speaker is elected y the members from among
their own number. The Speaker is the representative of
the House of Commons. the guardian of its privileges,
and its presiding officer. he is the servant of the
House, but one whose authority and prestige confer upon
that person the role of leadership in upholding the
integrity of Parliament. The official order of
precedence recognizes the Speakers status by
according him fifth place after the Governor-General,
Prime Minister, Chief Justice and Speaker of the Senate.
The Speaker of the Senate is appointed by the
Governor-General on the advice of the Prime Minister.
The Speaker presides over the debates of
the Hose with complete impartiality. The Speaker does
not participate in debate and votes only if there is a
tie. He/she maintains order, interprets the rules or
procedure, and calls on Members to speak in such a way
as to ensure a fair representation of opinion. While
protecting the rights of all Members, he has a
particular concern for the protection of the rights of
the minorities. The Speakers rulings are based upon good
procedure and the interests of Parliament as a whole in
accordance with the Standing Orders and the practice of
the House. The
Speakers function is not that of a policeman on the
look-out for offenders, but rather that of a judge to
whom an appeal can be made and who will intervene only
to ensure order and fair play. It is the Speaker's
responsibility to protect the privilege of freedom of
speech. A member cannot be sued for defamation on
account of any words uttered in Parliament, because it
is important in the national interest that a Member
should not be inhibited from speaking their mind fully
and frankly. This privilege is jealously guarded, and
the Speaker, while protecting it, also does his best to
see that it is not abused.
The Speaker emerged in the Middle Ages as
the spokesman of the Commons of England in their
dealings with the King. He spoke to the King on their
behalf - hence the name "speaker" - expressing their
grievances and conveying their petitions. It was not a
job which was greatly sought after in those days, and
this recollection still survives in the token show of
reluctance assumed by a Speaker-elect when, having been
chosen by their colleagues, the mover and seconded of
their nomination come to escort them to the chair.
The Speaker in Canada was for many years
the nominee of the party in power, although care was
taken to ensure that the candidate was acceptable to the
House as a whole. On only two occasions in Canadian
Parliamentary history, in 1878 and in 1936, was the
election of the Speaker contested. Until recently it was
also the custom. although not invariably observed, for
the Speaker to change with each Parliament, a Speaker of
the French language alternating with a Speaker of the
English language.
In recent years these
practices have given way to the continuity principle. In
1965, 1968, and 1972 the same Speaker was elected by
three Parliaments in succession, and in the general
elections of 1968 and 1972 he presented himself to his
electors as an independent candidate without party
associations. His re-election to the Chair on both
occasions was supported by all parties and he was
proposed and seconded by the Prime Minister and the
Leader of the Opposition respectively.
Some people would like to see the
continuity principle guaranteed by the provision of a
special seat for the Speaker so that he would not be
obliged to submit himself to the hazards of a general
election. Those opposed to this course of action argue
that the strength and prestige of the Speaker's office
lie in the fact that the Speaker is a Member of
Parliament who reaches the Hose of Commons by the same
route as all of their colleagues.
Click here for
list of Speakers |
