Beyond The Commons

 Beyond The Commons

Aaron Wherry covers all the goings-on in and around Parliament Hill. Follow Aaron on Twitter: @aaronwherry

Categories: Beyond The Commons, Capital Read

Place your bets

by Aaron Wherry on Tuesday, May 17, 2011 11:37am - 29 Comments

The Canadian Press widens the current field to replace Peter Milliken as Speaker to six MPs, all of them Conservatives.

Ever-cheerful Saskatchewan MP Andrew Scheer, who has worked alongside Peter Milliken as deputy speaker and assistant deputy speaker, is again trying his luck. He’s also the only functionally bilingual candidate among the Conservative MPs in the running. The NDP has said it believes the Speaker should be bilingual. ”I think back in 2004 I was quite the heckler, quite the partisan guy, and spending so many years in the chair has really taught me the importance of impartiality for the chair occupants but also a better personal understanding of what motivates other members of other parties,” said Scheer, who turns 31 on the weekend. ”(It’s) the idea that while you certainly might believe that your ideas and your policies are the best for Canada, not to take anything away from the opposition MPs who truly do want the same thing that you want — for Canada to be the best country in the world.”

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  • http://profiles.google.com/wilfridbrock J. W.

    There seems to be an idea in the Ottawa bubble that decorum will improve with a majority. Maybe somebody should go out beyond the Queensway and check out the Ontario Legislature at Queen’s Park.
    In her column today Chantal Hebert writes as if nobody in Ottawa knows anything about the mysteries of majority government. Hey guys there are 10 provinces out there you might take a look at if you dared break out of that self absorbed bubble existence you all have up there.

  • http://profiles.google.com/wilfridbrock J. W.

    There seems to be an idea in the Ottawa bubble that decorum will improve with a majority. Maybe somebody should go out beyond the Queensway and check out the Ontario Legislature at Queen’s Park.
    In her column today Chantal Hebert writes as if nobody in Ottawa knows anything about the mysteries of majority government. Hey guys there are 10 provinces out there you might take a look at if you dared break out of that self absorbed bubble existence you all have up there.

  • http://profiles.google.com/wilfridbrock J. W.

    There seems to be an idea in the Ottawa bubble that decorum will improve with a majority. Maybe somebody should go out beyond the Queensway and check out the Ontario Legislature at Queen’s Park.
    In her column today Chantal Hebert writes as if nobody in Ottawa knows anything about the mysteries of majority government. Hey guys there are 10 provinces out there you might take a look at if you dared break out of that self absorbed bubble existence you all have up there.

  • http://profiles.google.com/wilfridbrock J. W.

    There seems to be an idea in the Ottawa bubble that decorum will improve with a majority. Maybe somebody should go out beyond the Queensway and check out the Ontario Legislature at Queen’s Park.
    In her column today Chantal Hebert writes as if nobody in Ottawa knows anything about the mysteries of majority government. Hey guys there are 10 provinces out there you might take a look at if you dared break out of that self absorbed bubble existence you all have up there.

  • Anonymous

    Michael Chong. 

  • Anonymous

    Michael Chong. 

  • Anonymous

    Here’s my questionnaire for the candidates

      Question 1:  Will you enforce decorum?

    End of questionnaire. 

    • Anonymous

      Which the previous long-serving Speaker did not do, correct? Everybody seemed more intent on praising him for setting up bogus contempt charges against the Conservative government, while ignoring the ongoing decorum problems you point out.

    • Anonymous

      Which the previous long-serving Speaker did not do, correct? Everybody seemed more intent on praising him for setting up bogus contempt charges against the Conservative government, while ignoring the ongoing decorum problems you point out.

    • Anonymous

      Which the previous long-serving Speaker did not do, correct? Everybody seemed more intent on praising him for setting up bogus contempt charges against the Conservative government, while ignoring the ongoing decorum problems you point out.

  • Anonymous

    Here’s my questionnaire for the candidates

      Question 1:  Will you enforce decorum?

    End of questionnaire. 

  • modster99

    If the CPC has a majority, and a conservative speaker, we can put the ‘contempt’ thing to rest – won’t happen again.

  • modster99

    If the CPC has a majority, and a conservative speaker, we can put the ‘contempt’ thing to rest – won’t happen again.

  • modster99

    If the CPC has a majority, and a conservative speaker, we can put the ‘contempt’ thing to rest – won’t happen again.

  • Anonymous

    Ah, Andy Sheer is too partisan for the post.  Also, for some reason I thought that traditionally the speaker came from opposition ranks — no?
     

    • Anonymous

       My recollection is that the speaker comes from governing party in the case of a majority (they can afford the lost vote), but from opposition in case of minority (so as to not hobble the minority party).

      Now I wait to verify my recollective powers.   ;-)

      • Anonymous

        Milliken was selected Speaker under a Chretien majority, kept the job under a Martin minority,and for subsequent Harper minorities, too.

        A speaker from an opposition party only helps the government by taking a vote away from the opposition, which only matters if there is a tie vote in the House. Otherwise, I suspect it’s always in the government’s interest to have one of its own as Speaker, and it only doesn’t happen when the opposition out-votes them in the selection in a minority Parliament.

      • Anonymous

        Milliken was selected Speaker under a Chretien majority, kept the job under a Martin minority,and for subsequent Harper minorities, too.

        A speaker from an opposition party only helps the government by taking a vote away from the opposition, which only matters if there is a tie vote in the House. Otherwise, I suspect it’s always in the government’s interest to have one of its own as Speaker, and it only doesn’t happen when the opposition out-votes them in the selection in a minority Parliament.

      • Anonymous

        Milliken was selected Speaker under a Chretien majority, kept the job under a Martin minority,and for subsequent Harper minorities, too.

        A speaker from an opposition party only helps the government by taking a vote away from the opposition, which only matters if there is a tie vote in the House. Otherwise, I suspect it’s always in the government’s interest to have one of its own as Speaker, and it only doesn’t happen when the opposition out-votes them in the selection in a minority Parliament.

      • Anonymous

        Milliken was selected Speaker under a Chretien majority, kept the job under a Martin minority,and for subsequent Harper minorities, too.

        A speaker from an opposition party only helps the government by taking a vote away from the opposition, which only matters if there is a tie vote in the House. Otherwise, I suspect it’s always in the government’s interest to have one of its own as Speaker, and it only doesn’t happen when the opposition out-votes them in the selection in a minority Parliament.

      • Anonymous

        Milliken was selected Speaker under a Chretien majority, kept the job under a Martin minority,and for subsequent Harper minorities, too.

        A speaker from an opposition party only helps the government by taking a vote away from the opposition, which only matters if there is a tie vote in the House. Otherwise, I suspect it’s always in the government’s interest to have one of its own as Speaker, and it only doesn’t happen when the opposition out-votes them in the selection in a minority Parliament.

        • Anonymous

          Ahhh crap….so my memory is failing me in my old age.

        • Anonymous

          Ahhh crap….so my memory is failing me in my old age.

      • Anonymous

        Milliken was selected Speaker under a Chretien majority, kept the job under a Martin minority,and for subsequent Harper minorities, too.

        A speaker from an opposition party only helps the government by taking a vote away from the opposition, which only matters if there is a tie vote in the House. Otherwise, I suspect it’s always in the government’s interest to have one of its own as Speaker, and it only doesn’t happen when the opposition out-votes them in the selection in a minority Parliament.

  • Anonymous

    Ah, Andy Sheer is too partisan for the post.  Also, for some reason I thought that traditionally the speaker came from opposition ranks — no?
     

  • Anonymous

    Ah, Andy Sheer is too partisan for the post.  Also, for some reason I thought that traditionally the speaker came from opposition ranks — no?
     

  • Anonymous

    Impossible to have Speaker who is not bilingual. What’s the significance of these unilingual English Tories throwing their hats in the ring? 

  • Anonymous

     cc

  • Anonymous

     cc

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